New Funeral Law allows non-religious funeral in Romania

A new Funeral Law allows Romanians to choose whether they want a religious funeral ceremony, or a non-religious one, which would not involve a priest, and which could also include incineration, according to the draft law, quoted by Metropotam. In case the deceased has not expressed any preference for the funeral during his life, his religious affiliation will be taken into account when establishing funeral rituals. Incineration will be only possible in Bucharest and Oradea, the only cities where crematories are still functional. According to the new law, the graves which have not been taken care of for two years can be confiscated. Romanians, the majority of whom are Christian Orthodox, are also religious, so most of the funerals in Romania involve burial and a religious ceremony, as well a host of pagan-rooted rituals which may vary from one region to the other, and often from one village to the next. A text about burial and mourning in Romania is here. Read more: Romania’s Merry Cemetery rated the most beautiful in the world by French newspaper Travel planner: Maramureș: Where Romania comes home editor@romania-insider.com (photo by Andy Trincia, guest writer)