We are born dust and return to dust; it is a tradition as old as time itself. And over the centuries, the way different cultures and religions approach death evolves. From funeral services to cremations, humans have developed many types of ways to commemorate deceased loved ones.

Nowadays, many people choose to be cremated and store their ashes in an urn whose use is intended to collect the ashes in memory of the deceased.

According to the latest statistics, cremation rates in Canada have steadily increased. In 2000 the cremation rate was 47.7% but this figure increased to 73.1% in 2020. (Source: Statista.ca)

But how was this custom born? 

According to discoveries, the use of the funerary urn dates back to Prehistory in the Bronze Age ( 3300 to 1200 BC BC) however the majority of buried urns which were found dated mainly from Antiquity (3300-3200 BC).

In light of this information, we could conclude that all civilizations practiced the rites of cremation and this in respect of the time, the beliefs, personality and past life of the deceased.

Several styles of urns have survived through time, all made using materials available at the time. Today, it is more common to find urns made from glass, wood, metal and marble.

Eco-responsible burial solution

Urns made from eco-responsible materials are a conscious choice and at the same time bear concrete action as a sign of respect for the environment of future generations. 

In Quebec, several possibilities are available to loved ones in order to preserve the ashes of the deceased:

• Bury the ashes in a cemetery 
• Place the urn in an underground tomb (called a columbarium)
• Keep the funeral urn at home or in a niche in the columbarium.
• Arrange or disperse them in a place dear to the missing person
  

Travel to the heart of sacred geometry with Z'URNE

A return to the origins of Greek cinerary urns from the Geometric period ( 900 to 700 BC ) where funerary art who wore the deceased was a passing architectural ornament in relation to death. 

Through its structural similarities with the biconical cinerary urns of the geometric era, the family business Z'URNE designs symbolic and ecological urns which bring to life the original essence of the cremation rite.

At the heart of the Z'URNE the sacred space is born, that is to say the point of origin, where the visible agrees with the invisible, there where everything is reborn, manifesting in us the feeling of being back home. self connecting the soul of the deceased to the cradle of eternal life.

Discover the Z’URNE universe