On Cremation in Nowadays Romania

In Romania, the topic of cremation copes with several distinctive issues compared to western states (e.g. existence of a sole crematorium which operates for 20 million inhabitants). On the contrary, the most critical problem of the Romanian Death System is given by the crisis of the resting places in urban area that could be resolved by accepting and developing the cremation as an alternative solution. The article’s goal is to analyze different attitudes towards death in Romanian space, having as a reference point the issue of cremation. The issue of cremation is also analyzed from the historical and social point of view. The main conclusion is that the Orthodox Church’s position and its influence in Romanian society represent the most natural justification of the presented situation. The paper reveals a lesser degree of secularization in Romanian society compared to other European countries, a simple fact that could explain the specificity of the Romanian practice regarding death issues and cremation.

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