Ash diamond or forest grave? What is allowed in Saxony

What is not (yet) permitted?

Burials in the lake, in the garden or anywhere in nature are not permitted. In other federal states, the regulations are much more relaxed: in Rhineland-Palatinate - the federal state with the most modern burial law - the ashes of the deceased may be scattered in designated areas, you can be buried in a river or keep the urn at home.

In Saxony-Anhalt and Rhineland-Palatinate, it has also been permitted for some time to remove a small portion of the ashes for dignified use or further processing into memorabilia. The ashes of the deceased can be turned into an artificial diamond or other piece of jewelry. This is not yet possible in Saxony.

In Schleswig-Holstein, so-called reburials are also being tested. In this process, the corpse is decomposed in a special container with the addition of plant materials, coal, water and oxygen and with regular tilting movements over a period of several weeks. Within 40 days, the body should be completely composted into soil.

And if it needs to be more personal or creative

According to the consumer initiative Bestattungskultur Aeternitas, the demand for alternative burials has long been on the rise across Germany. This is because the funeral industry always reflects social change. More and more crematoriums are therefore offering to be present at the cremation or to help with the care of the body.

According to the consumer initiative, funeral services can now also be arranged individually - detached from the traditional, often church-based rituals. Some funeral homes offer to paint coffins or urns themselves or to bring their own bed linen for the interior.

Will the law soon be relaxed?

According to the Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs, talks are currently underway to reform the burial law. They are "in talks with a large number of interest groups, institutions and, of course, other ministries", it said. The aim is to complete the ongoing coordination processes as quickly as possible and present the cabinet with a sustainable draft bill. A decision is to be made by the end of the year.

State Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) had already presented a draft for a new burial law in 2023. Among other things, it included a relaxation of the coffin requirement and more rights for the burial of so-called "star children" - i.e. children who die before, during or shortly after birth.

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