Different cultures have very different attitudes to death - and different funeral ceremonies as well. In predominantly Buddhist Thailand, the deceased are almost always cremated. A Thai friend asked me why in the West we bury people in coffins in the dark and cheerless ground, to be decomposed and eaten by worms. I explained to her the Christian idea of resurrection, which she seemed to find rather bizarre. In Thailand, she said, we believe that by cremation we are sending the body up to Heaven - a nice idea visibly manifested.