Saying farewell is becoming more personal and intimate. Funerals now often include a personal touch, sometimes even involving pets.
The Uden crematorium has been allowing animals to attend funerals for a year or two. DELA spokesman Martijn van de Koolwijk mentioned, “We’ve seen birds in cages, cats near the coffin, and dogs at the service,” in an interview with Brabants Dagblad.
However, yesterday marked a first as a horse was present in the hallway, not as a macabre joke, but because the horse held a special place in the deceased person’s heart.
The staff at the Uden crematorium were taken aback but found it remarkably touching to include the noble animal in the ceremony.
Van de Koolwijk is noticing an increase in such personalized gestures. The trend seems to be the more personal, the more meaningful. He has witnessed extravagant cars parked outside funerals of car collectors and entire horseback riding clubs showing up to pay their respects.
It’s heartwarming that individuals can infuse their funerals with personal significance, isn’t it?
