Shroud
Shroud
A shroud is a piece of fabric or other material used to cover or wrap a person who has died. Shrouding is an ancient practice found across many cultures and religions, and some traditions prescribe particular materials, colours or methods of wrapping.
Traditional and religious use. Certain religious traditions have specific requirements for how a person is shrouded. These may include the type of fabric used, how the fabric is wrapped and who is permitted to carry out the preparation.
It can be simple. Outside those traditions, there is no single material that defines a shroud. A shroud can be made from almost any suitable fabric, including a simple sheet or other piece of cloth. It can be new, purpose-made or made from reclaimed material.
Reclaimed fabrics. Reclaimed fabric can be particularly meaningful. For example, Boomerang Bags has produced fabric used by us as liners for Daisybox caskets. The same idea of using existing textiles can be extended to shrouding, creating something practical without requiring a new manufactured product.
In our practice, we often don’t even use a body bag when collecting someone who has died. Instead, where appropriate, the person may be wrapped in a sheet before being placed into a Daisybox for cremation. In that sense, the person is already shrouded, even though the material used is simply an ordinary sheet rather than a purpose made funeral shroud.
Shroud and shroud bearer are different things. The Shroud Bearer is the rigid support underneath the person that allows them to be safely carried and, where applicable, transferred into a cremator. The shroud is the fabric or material covering the person.
A shroud can therefore be traditional, practical, personal or improvised. What matters is that it provides an appropriate way to cover and care for the person who has died.
Related
- Shroud Bearer
- Daisybox
- Cremation
- Direct Cremation
- Coffin
- Casket