Coffins and Caskets
A coffin is a casket and a casket is a coffin. Essentially, both words mean the same thing. Coffins and caskets are containers that are built to hold the body of a deceased individual. Not all cultures believe in burying their dead, but those who do, bury their dead underground or put them in a vault, whilst inside wooden or metal coffins or caskets. These two words are interchangeable but if you want to go into the tiniest detail, you will find out that they are slightly different from each other.
Differentiating Between Coffins and Caskets
Both are boxes constructed to serve as the last holding place of corpses, in this Earth. Coffins and caskets, however, differ from each other in the following ways:
- Coffins tend to be wider at the shoulder area and the design gradually tapers towards the opposite end, where the feet are supposed to be. Since the lower part of the body do not really need as much space compared to the shoulder part, this design succeeds to save wood during construction. Much of the coffins constructed today observe this very conservative design, except for the ones that are manufactured in Europe.
- Caskets, on the other hand, used to refer to a small chest that is supposed to contain jewelry or anything valuable. Unlike coffins, it is a container with equal sides from the bottom to the top. Most of those constructed are already lined but sometimes, you can find that grave sites and vaults are given the option to be lined. They usually come with openings at the upper torso area, so that visitors of the deceased can choose to view them before they finally depart.
Going Beyond Its Main Function
Sometimes, coffins and caskets go beyond their original function of holding deceased bodies. Often times, in an attempt to impress or perhaps provide more comfort, coffins are constructed to have more than what a regular product should and is expected to have. Some coffins and caskets are lined with expensive textiles inside and they are adorned with jewels to display the person’s status in his or her past life. As if these jewels will have any bearing in the afterlife, coffins and caskets can cost up to $50,000 and even more. Some coffins and caskets can also bear the names of the deceased. It can also have engraved messages from the families of the departed.
Choosing the Right Coffins and Caskets
People have the option to choose between a wide array of products. Today, there are now countless types and designs that you can choose from and the decision you will make will all be dependent on the following things:
- Your financial capabilities will the most important thing to consider. Caskets and coffins can come in different prices and the type of container that you will buy will depend on how much you are capable of spending. If you have a bigger budget, then you have the opportunity to enjoy more choices. Naturally, if you have a tighter budget, you need to make do with what you can afford.