Petra Six from the Miesbacher funeral home Rauffer in a Merkur interview on All Saints' Day: About funeral trends and what has changed when you die.
Miesbach - Once a year, on All Saints' Day, the focus is on the memory of the deceased.
So most of them prepare their family graves for November 1st.
Well, what does most mean.
The trend is now clearly in the direction of easy-care graves in the district.
Petra Six (53) from the funeral home Rauffer in Miesbach explains how business has changed with death and also how, as an undertaker, she deals with finitude.
Six: "One should bring death back to life"
Ms. Six, you, your brother and your mother have been running the family business since 1992. Have you always wanted to be an undertaker?
No, I trained as a bank clerk.
Back then, as a corpse woman who helped relatives to attract the dead, my grandma founded the company and made it bigger and bigger.
She also introduced the first hearse here.
At that time the dead were still driven in carriages.
My father took over after her.
In 1992 he died in an accident at work.
So my brother, my mom and I went on.
So when your grandmother laid the foundations, did the funeral system look very different?
Yes, relatives did more, for example dressed or washed the deceased themselves.
At some point the undertaker took over everything.
People are now more likely to die in the hospital, from where they are handed over directly to the undertaker.
So our activity has also expanded.
Also read:
Miesbach records good demand for tree burials
In the past, burials were common practice. That is no longer the case.
A lot has changed in the last 15 years.
Most want a cremation.
The trend is moving away from the classic earth grave
Why is that?
They find it cleaner.
In addition, you have small, easy-care graves with an urn.
This is important to many - especially if they do not live in the place where the family grave is located.
There is also a choice of different burial options with urns.
Tree graves, for example, are currently popular.
Does a closeness to nature play a role here?
That's a point.
But it is also an easy-care and inexpensive grave variant.
Tree graves are very popular
What else has changed in dealing with dying?
We try to take away the fear of the corpse from the mourners.
Often there is a worse picture in the mind than it really is - even after accidents.
In the past few years we have managed to involve the bereaved more in the processes.
For example, that they are there when they get dressed.
Corona has cut another notch in us with the hygiene regulations.
Personally, I think it's important to bring death back to life and to take away fears.
Ultimately, however, that is also something very individual.
What helps one, the other may not have.
You yourself lost your father and your husband at an early age. Has your job helped you to cope with grief?
Zero.
With my husband, I personally arranged everything down to the last detail.
But when the funeral was over and I realized that he would never come back, I fell into a very deep hole, questioned everything and finally went into a group of mourners.
What helped you
In retrospect, I noticed how important rituals and structures are after a death.
What do you mean?
I think it's good that funerals can be made more and more personal and individual.
But certain structures are still important.
Alone for the course of the funeral and memorial service and also afterwards for the reappraisal.
It's similar with rituals.
They can also be very different, but form a framework and provide support.
Be it the visit to the grave or now on All Saints' Day.
Even if it's a memorial day, it's nice that everyone comes together and has a coffee afterwards.
How do you want to be buried one day?
I will probably be the last burial in Miesbach.
(laughs)
The interview was conducted by Felicitas Bogner.
Everything from your region!
Our brand new Miesbach newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the Miesbach region - including all the news about the corona crisis in your community.
Sign up here.
