Begravning utan ceremoni

Om kunskapsläget kring samtidens största förändring av begravningsskick

Abstract

Since 2008, the proportion of burials without ceremonies in Sweden has increased from two percent to nine percent (with a peak of 11 percent in the pandemic year 2020). According to the Swedish Association of Funeral Directors, burials without ceremonies can be understood as a direct cremation in which collection, transport and burial take place without the participation of relatives. This article summarizes the Swedish reports and essays on burials without ceremonies together with the international research literature. The Swedish studies suggest that new types of personal and private ceremonies may have replaced civil and religious ceremonies. The international research suggests that refraining from ceremony may increase the risk of prolonged and deepened grief (complicated grief). Previous research overlooks the impact of the increasing likelihood of no one attending one’s funeral on those suffering from loneliness.