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A pyre (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: p???, pyrá, from p??, pŭr, fire) is a structure, usually made of wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
, for burning a body as part of a funeral
Funeral

A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour....
 rite. As a form of cremation
Cremation

Cremation is the process of reducing human remains to basic Chemical element in the form of bone fragments through flame, heat, and vaporization....
, a body is placed upon the pyre which is then set on fire
Fire

Fire is the oxidation of a combustion material releasing heat, light, and various Chemical reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water....
.

Traditionally, pyres are used for the cremation of the deceased in Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
.






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Ubud Cremation 1
A pyre (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: p???, pyrá, from p??, pŭr, fire) is a structure, usually made of wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
, for burning a body as part of a funeral
Funeral

A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour....
 rite. As a form of cremation
Cremation

Cremation is the process of reducing human remains to basic Chemical element in the form of bone fragments through flame, heat, and vaporization....
, a body is placed upon the pyre which is then set on fire
Fire

Fire is the oxidation of a combustion material releasing heat, light, and various Chemical reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water....
.

Traditionally, pyres are used for the cremation of the deceased in Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
. In England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, the coffin
Coffin

A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains ? either for burial or cremation....
 is placed on an unlit pyre; however, in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, the pyre is lit. Pyres are uncommon in the Western world
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 in modern times and have been replaced by the idea of indoor cremation in a crematorium. In a Viking funeral
Viking funeral

The Norsemen often Cremation their dead in ship burials, known from archaeology, sagas, Old Norse poetry, and notably from #Ibn Fadlan's account. The Norse funerals that took place on land have permitted archaeologists to study the varying funeral traditions of Viking age Scandinavians....
, the pyre was built on a ship, which was usually shaped like a dragon's snout.

Other uses


Pyres are used in celebrations and remembrance in services such as Gay Fawkes Night and Swiss National Day
Swiss National Day

The Switzerland National Day is 1 August. It is inspired by the mention of "early August" in the Federal Charter of 1291. It was first celebrated in Berne in 1891, marking the 600th anniversary of the charter....
. They were used in the Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibór extermination camp

Sobibor was a Nazi Germany extermination camp set up in the Lublin region of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German language name was Schutzstaffel-Sonderkommando Sobibor....
 to cremate bodies as opposed to the crematoriums used in most camps.

See also

  • Sati
    Sati (practice)

    Sati was a funeral practice among some Hindu communities in which a recently-widowed woman would either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion Self-immolation herself on her husband?s funeral pyre....


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