Secondary burial in the Netherlands: Rights, rites and motivations

Abstract

Secondary burial, though often associated with exotic places, appears to be less rare in the Netherlands than people assume. In this article we discuss contemporary re-interments of ‘average’ people, seeking to understand why such reburials take place and whether, and how, the events are ritualised. The reburials, we found, do not conform to a standardised practice: they vary considerably, leaving room for the survivors to create their own rituals, because the transition from the status of ‘living’ to that of ‘dead’ has already taken place. Moreover, these ritualisations often intersect events in the lives of survivors.

Keywords:

• secondary burial
• mortuary rites
• reburial
• Netherlands

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank all the people who contributed to our research, generously giving their time and sharing their experiences of reburial in the Netherlands. Our especial thanks are due to the family Klaren, not only for their openness but also for giving us permission to publish their striking photographs. We are indebted to Gravendienst Strijbos for sharing their expertise and putting us in touch with their clients, and to our colleagues Wim Cappers and Ronald Grimes, and the anonymous referees of this journal, for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this article. Finally, we are indebted to the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for enabling us to do this research in the context of the project ‘Refiguring Death Rites.’

Notes

[1] But see O'Rourke on the role of individuality in the case of collective ossuaries (2007, pp. 387, 391, 396).

[2] Several scholars (Davies, 1997, 2000; Hertz, 1907/1960; Prendergast et al., 2006) have pointed at the secondary rites of disposal that occur after cremation. The ashes have to be processed one way or another, evoking a longer period of ritualisation that echoes second burial rites. While in the Netherlands the disposal of the ashes used to be in the hands of the crematory personnel, since the early 1990s the placement of the urn and/or the scattering of the ashes have increasingly been ritualized by the mourners themselves. Increasingly, survivors scatter or place the ashes themselves, while burning candles or reciting a poem (Heessels, 2008). The relatively secluded and improvised character of these rituals is reminiscent of second burial rites.

[3] See www.uitvaart.nl/index.php?s_page_id=12

[4] Though the legislative reality often applies for a limited (though long) period.

[5] We refer here to Hertz (1960, p. 42), who states that cremation is usually neither a final act, nor sufficient in itself; it calls for a later and complementary rite.

[6] Indeed second burial among the Dayak, after the first and simple burial, appears to be more than a matter of cultural values. The intermediary period also allows time for the bereaved to collect money and materials for the more elaborate rituals surrounding the second burial (Miles, 1965).

[7] In September 2008, the legislation on body disposal was evaluated and changes were proposed, especially with regard to the exhumation and reburial of human remains.

[8] Up until now we have documented at least 20 (initiatives for) monuments marking collective graves in Dutch graveyards. The first monument we are aware of was erected in 1995 at the Eikenhof graveyard in Heemskerk.

[9] Several articles were published on this topic in the Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant on 31 August 2007, 9 June 2007 and 1 September 2007.

[10] Since the nineties, a structural ritual has evolved in the Netherlands called the silent march [de stille tocht]. In most cases this is organized in protest against ‘senseless’ violence or death. For further information on silent marches in the Netherlands, see Margry (2006).

[11] Barley (1995, p. 27) notes that mortuary rites around the world entail discussions of the notion of personhood. We plan a future publication on the role of memory in the constitution of personhood as reflected in ritualizations of collective and individual reburial.