A pyre (Greek: πυρά, pyrá, from πυρ, pýr, fire), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon the pyre, which is then set on fire.
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Traditionally, pyres are used for the cremation of the deceased in the Hindu and Sikh religions, a practice which dates back several thousands of years.[1] Funeral pyres were also used in Viking culture, typically on floating boats, as well as by the Romans.[2]
Pyres and bonfires are used in celebrations and remembrance in services. Examples of these are Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries, where the 'Guy', either seen as an effigy of Guy Fawkes or the Pope, is burned.
Funeral pyres were used by the Nazis to cremate the bodies of 1,500,000+ Jews in Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka extermination camps, as opposed to the crematoriums used in other camps. Pyres have also been used to dispose of large quantities of livestock in agriculture, particularly those infected with disease.[2]
Whilst funeral pyres are still used in several cultures, they are very uncommon and even illegal in some cultures, particularly in the Western World.[2] Despite cremation being commonplace, open air cremations in the United Kingdom were thought to be unlawful under the Cremation Act 1902 - although in recent years, some have taken place amongst immigrant communities.[2] In February, 2010, a court of appeals in the United Kingdom ruled that a cremation on an open pyre would be legal inside of a building with an open roof, well away from roads and homes.[3] In the US, a group in Crestone, Colorado has done the research, obtained the necessary legal permissions and created a permanent cement pyre structure to perform around 12 “open-air cremations” a year.[4]
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