Burial Shrouds by Kinkaraco

This is an odd topic this morning, but bear with me.

Burial shrouds are not typical at an American funeral. We tend to look for the deceased's favorite or best outfit and give that to the funeral home for them to be dressed in.  I think I like the idea of a burial shroud better. A burial shroud gives a sense of closure and ritual that is important in the grieving process. It signals a transformation and next stage.

The history of the deceased wearing their clothing is really quite recent in all of history. I'm not sure how it all got started. I think it had something to do with the mass production of clothing making it less valuable to save.

Over a year ago, I did a post on textile artist Pia Interlandia and the burial shrouds that she is creating. They're quite beautiful and you can read the post by clicking Pia's highlighted name.

Shrouds are by tradition made of natural fibers, usually cotton, and quite simple, but many companies in the green-funeral business are beginning to offer other options.  Kinkaraco has a line of shrouds that are quite pretty. They carry the traditional shroud as well as some more interesting ones.

The Varanasi Silk Cremation Shroud

Botanic Deathspa Herbal Lined Shroud

The Versailles Embroidered Silk Shroud

The Peacock Shroud

Ravenwing Pitch Black Shrouds

I think we should all consider choosing our own shroud or other burial attire and purchasing it well before (hopefully) it is needed. If you're old enough to remember, women used to have hope chests where they kept things in expectation of their marriage. I propose that we have death chests where we keep information about how we would like to be buried, things we want buried with us, perhaps our self-written obituary, and items that we want people to remember us by. You could even pick out your own urn. Stop making that face, I'm not joking! It would really save your family and friends from making decisions that are difficult.

One more item that Kinkaraco carries that I think is nice is the Heart Pocket that can go in the casket and holds items like prayers, jewelry, or photos that are to be interred with the deceased.

The Heart Pocket

Death shouldn't be a taboo topic. Let's take the fear out of it and find beauty in a natural and un-preventable part of who we are.