What now? Cremation without tradition

Although cremation is an increasingly popular method of body disposal, there is little research on ash disposition, particularly the decisions and negotiations underlying the process. Americans who have recently encountered the cremation of loved ones for the first time have not been studied at all; the present research describes 87 of their cremation experiences. Adults who were actively involved in cremation and ash disposition decisions were interviewed about these processes at every stage, from the decision to cremate through the performance of final rituals for their dead. Results detail family and friends' active negotiations over cremation and ash disposition, the surprises they encountered, and the personally meaningful rituals they created for their loved ones. As in other emerging postdeath rituals, the enactment of individualized rituals for the dead was seen as a positive experience; accordingly, most participants preferred to be cremated and honored through nontraditional rituals themselves.