Do You Have be Buried in a Casket?

Today, no state or federal law requires the use of a casket for interment or cremation. Northwoods Casket Company stipulates the deceased can be directly interred in the earth, wrapped in a shroud, or laid to rest in a vault without a casket.

Green, natural, or simple burials as they're sometimes referred to, are a fast-growing segment of the modern funeral business. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) notes that while 5% of today's interments are green, approximately 72% of American cemeteries are seeing an increased preference for the practice, with 54% of Americans surveyed being open to the idea.

If you're interested in making green burial arrangements for yourself or your loved ones, Earth offers human composting services in Idaho.

Caskets: when & why did people start using them?

Morbid-cool fact: protecting human remains after burial dates back approximately 3,500 years to the Shang dynasty of ancient China.

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According to Trusted Caskets, the practice allowed a body to decompose "without interference from earth-dwelling insects and bacteria." During the Dark Ages, however, caskets were primarily used to deter scavenger animals and graverobbers. Today, people cherish gravesites for the opportunity they provide to visit and connect with their loved ones.

What Can You Put in a Coffin for Burial in Idaho?

It's not unusual for the departed to be buried with significant personal items known as grave goods in the funeral industry. For an understanding of what Idahoans can and can't be buried with, we contacted Bowman Funeral Home in Boise.

Scroll below for a look at 19 unbelievable things we can be buried with in Idaho (plus, two things you can't take with you)!

19 Alarming Things You Can Be Buried With In Idaho + 2 You Can't Take with You!

Gallery Credit: Ryan Antoinette Valenzuela

Scroll on for a look at one of Boise's most beautiful cemeteries on the Chinden Blvd. bench started by Idaho's original pioneers!

Joplin Cemetery: Idaho's Most Unique Burial Grounds

Joplin's Cemetery - Est. 1882 - Eagle, Idaho

"To the memory of the pioneer families who came to this valley in 1880. This sacred place is reserved and perpetuated as they found it. Dry and desolate, many were the hardships and privations endured. Dedicated to the spirit of the old timers and pioneers."
 
 Scroll on for a unique tour of Idaho's most interesting cemetery!

Gallery Credit: Ryan Valenzuela

Scroll on for a recap of Idaho's eight most heart-breaking deaths and tragedies.

8 Deaths & Murders That Devastated Idaho

Please join us in honoring the legacy of these beautiful Idahoans we lost too soon.

Gallery Credit: Ryan

Scroll on for a recap of the 11 most bizarre deaths in Idaho & Utah.

11 Unique & Peculiar Deaths that Happened in Idaho & Utah

Scroll on for a roundup of deaths & murders that stray further from the beaten path than we were prepared to handle.

Gallery Credit: Ryan Valenzuela

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