UKRAINE

Popularizing Cremation in Ukraine  The first crematory was opened in Moscow in 1920. It was impossible to open a crematory before the revolution, as the holy synod—the supreme ecclesiastical authority in the Russia of the czars—was opposed to it because of religious considerations. The Moscow crematory did not begin functioning until some years after it was officially opened. About 1930 the idea of building crematories in the Ukraine arose. The government has already given its sanction to the projects of crematories in Charkoff and Odessa, and in Charkoff a crematory is already being built. The price of a cremation will be about one rouble (50 cents), which includes the cost of a wooden coffin, special clothing and boots. Before the cremation takes place, the relatives may perform all the religious rites they wish. Afterward, the ashes are placed in a special urn, which the relatives of the deceased may take