To hate that funerals take place weeks after the death?

And in Poland it's done and dusted 3 -4 days after the death (whether expected or not)! Apparently the costs of holding the body are so extortionate no one can afford it. You don't know what's worse (I.e- what if you were completely unprepared for the death and have to organise everything in a week at most?)

We had a death in the wider family recently, and the FD said that about 2 doctors because of Shipman. However, that's recently changed and in our area it's one doctor, then it's referred to the coroner so he can call it in if they're in any doubt. It still took 10 days to get the death certificate so things could get going. It was a direct cremation but I can't remember how long it was, about 3 weeks from date of death I think?

They don't. We also need to wait if paperwork isn't done on time, or if a postmortem needs to happen. I'm Jewish and neither my FIL or my grandmother were buried within our preferred timeframe of 24 hours. My grandmother was buried over 6 weeks after her death due to paperwork and postmortem.

We don't get special treatment, no matter what certain posters on here have said or implied - we just use different burial grounds that are set up for quick burials assuming paperwork is in order. But we're still dependent on paperwork being in order. The same as everyone else.

That's not what people on tbis thread are describing. Pp had delays in receiving the death certificate.

IME the delay was due to the insistence that there was a PM (in a very elderly, unwell lady) despite the feelings of her family.

So my question remains, how do other faiths expedite this process?

This is really disappointing to hear. A two week wait for the medical certificate for a presumably straightforward hospital death, where she had been under consultant care?

Or was it the death certificate, with the hold up being the local authority registrar?

What really pissies me off is the fact that I have one crew within 2 miles

the other one is a big city and 10 miles away and then another 20 miles away

the nearest charges £1200 for a cremation - no live streaming available
the city 10 miles away is £600 live streaming available
the town 20 miles is £750 live streaming available

why such a disparity in prices?

as others have said some religions, e.g. Jewish and Muslim, still usually have funerals within a few days at most, so I don’t know why it’s different for others

Obviously I can't speak for others, @Travelodge, but in our area they now hold "slots" for early cremations requested for religious/cultural reasons, so it follows that this may increase the wait for those to whom this doesn't apply

On the subject of Northern Ireland though, how does it work if a post mortem's needed? Unless they have far more pathologists it's hard to imagine they can all be done by the 3 day limit which seems common?

We had no vicar, no celebrant, no-one for my mum's, we just did it ourselves.

So the four week delay wasn't due to vicar's parishes!

My mum died on the 16th January and we had her funeral yesterday on the 14th February. That was the first available date offered to us. It was a long time to wait.

Mum was in hospital for 3 weeks prior to her death and it still took nearly 2 weeks to get her death certificate. That is what was the hardest for me as you can’t really do anything without the bloody death certificate.

I would accept your post except there is no lack of burial/cremation places in Australia and burials are often 2 weeks from the death

you were speaking about a late funeral being a tradition in England - what goes on in Australia I have no idea

Direct cremation is becoming popular now. There is nothing wrong with it.

@Bloodybrambles - it can be impossible to plan a funeral any faster. When my mum died, there had to be a post mortem, and the hospital won't release the body until that's done. Then you have to consider the people who want to be there, and try to pick a date that suits as many as possible of the closest relatives and friends. Then you have to look at the availability of the church or crematorium, and of venues for the wake afterwards. My lovely MIL died in early December, and as a very active church member, we had to have her funeral in her church, but as it was the run up to Christmas, there were a lot of extra things happening in the church, and we had to plan around them.

I think that most people don't want to wait for ages for the funeral, but practical considerations force a later date.

Because the law relating to this only came into being late last year

I think everyone is different I prefer a long break before death and funeral because I have found it has helped me grieve and plan but it would be good if we could have a choice. The last funeral I went to for a very close family member took place about 6 weeks after he died. Another years ago took place around a week later I found with that people expected me to have for over it because the funeral had taken place.

My husband died during lockdown. It happened at home, so was treated by the police as 'an unexpected death' even though he was actually under the care of his doctor...but it happened during the night and they didn't interview her until the next morning - after he'd been taken away (against my wishes) to the central mortuary in Edinburgh.

(I wasn't totally unprepared for this. I know two other women who were carers for their husbands and they went through the same. I know that there are protocols to follow, but the local police seem to be very suspicious of wives who have cared for their husbands for years.)

Once the Procurator Fiscal read all the medical notes, he was released without the need for a post mortem and I was told that I could have the funeral a fortnight later, but late afternoon when (in the winter months) it would have been pitch black. The crem had made "an extra slot" available. (It wasn't covid per se that was the problem - there's one other crem in Fife and it was closed for an 'upgrade to the sound system'.)

I refused. I couldn't bear the idea of following the hearse in the dark and coming out into the pitch black, particularly when I was going to be on my own. I opted to wait another fortnight to get a morning slot.

Freeze drying is another method that was being discussed some years back,the bodyis freeze dried and pulverized and treated in the same way as ashes.

Surprised that you allowed others to dictate events to this extent. Presumably you didn't mind though? In which case it doesn't matter at all I suppose.

My dad also died in April 2020, there was noone at the crem. Not a single person. Mum and I (the only attendees) were about ten minutes early, we sat in the car, there was noone about. The doors were locked. We worried we'd somehow got the wrong day.

But the hearse turned up exactly on time, just the driver, the guy with the trolley and one other person. We had no celebrant, noone else except us two. So no eulogy etc.

But there was definitely no queue at the crem before or after.

What do you mean when you say it isn't about you? It is. You lost your parent.
I agree with you funerals are really difficult in my experience and it would be much better to have them quickly after the death whilst in the mourning phase.

I'm coming round to this way of thinking and I suspect all the bells and whistles will be a thing of the past in a generation or so.

DH wants a funeral but I'm not sure I do actually.

The bit about the funeral business being ghoulish is right but the adverts on the telly for straight cremation are appalling. Eventually kids will think their parents selfish if they do have a funeral.

The fuck?!!

No idea what you mean. Shock? Disbelief? Condemnation? Please elaborate.

I would accept your post except there is no lack of burial/cremation places in Australia and burials are often 2 weeks from the death.

Spain has a population close to 50 million today, and burials and cremations are done within 3 days.

There is some sort of tradition in place. Otherwise, the difference in burials/cremations don't make any sense.

So your aunt’s body was kept in a store somewhere for 3 months whilst everyone checked their diaries?
I find that rather disrespectful.

In Poland usually funeral is withing 2-3days

The fuck?!!