"Live music, caskets sculptures, and virtual obituaries, rising trends in the province of Barcelona"

Barcelona, October 31, 2012.

Funeral services in the 21st century are increasingly adapting to new societal realities and demands. According to data from the leading Catalan funeral company, Serveis Funeraris Integrals (SFI), which manages 25 funeral homes, 5 crematoria, and 16 cemeteries in Catalonia, 40% of families in the province of Barcelona request live music at ceremonies. The city of Barcelona records the highest percentage of this trend, at 60%, according to 2012 data from the Tanatori Ronda de Dalt.

For Josep Ventura, Director of Funeral Services at SFI, “To ensure that farewells are as tailored as possible to the families' needs, funeral companies are increasingly offering personalized services, such as musicians performing songs that the deceased enjoyed or were remembered for, and even catering for viewing rooms.” For the past two years, SFI has also offered a service for custom coffin sculptures as an alternative or complement to traditional crosses. “These are original elements, handcrafted in bronze by sculptor Manuela Rivero, that many families prefer because they reflect the deceased's tastes or relationship,” Ventura comments. This option is highly demanded for secular burials, which now account for 10% at the Tanatori Ronda de Dalt. The remaining 90% are religious, predominantly Catholic, but also Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, or Buddhist.

Regarding new trends, according to SFI data for the provinces of Barcelona and Girona, cremation rates stabilize around 30%, compared to capitals like Barcelona, which reach 40%. Serveis Funeraris Integrals, headquartered in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona), has over 300 years of experience in the funeral sector and currently serves 167 towns in Catalonia. It primarily operates in the Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, Alt Penedès, Garraf, Bages, Ripollès, and Alt Empordà regions. Among the 25 funeral homes it manages are those in Ronda de Dalt in Barcelona, Gran Via L’Hospitalet, Sitges, Vilafranca del Penedès, Funerària Empordanesa in Figueres, and Pompes Fúnebres del Ripollès in Ripoll. SFI also manages five crematoria and 16 public cemeteries integrally, including the Cementiri Comarcal Parc de Roques Blanques in Papiol (Barcelona).

New Technologies and Online Last Wishes

The evolution of funeral trends has taken new technologies into account, allowing users to access traditional services online, such as virtual obituaries or flower orders (through websites like www.serveisfunerarisintegrals.com). This year, following online trends, Serveis Funeraris Integrals has launched the MiVoluntad.com project, an internet service where one can organize their “emotional” legacy (who will receive their most cherished belongings), write farewell letters, list online service or bank passwords, and choose burial details in advance (such as music, casket, burial site), so that family and friends can consider these wishes at the time of death.

In the 2.0 environment, SFI has also pioneered a world-first project: Tanatopèdia (www.tanatopedia.org), the first wiki dedicated to funeral culture, absence, and mourning. Launched two years ago, it also has a presence on Twitter (@tanatopedia). Its goal is to help break the taboo surrounding death with total respect and without frivolity, by addressing aspects of funeral history and culture worldwide.

Support for Coping with Grief

In the field of emotional management, SFI collaborates on educational and training projects aimed at children, adolescents, and adults to address loss and mourning from schools, families, and even professional environments (residences, hospitals). Through the “Art and Absence” program by the mutual aid group AVES, tools and resources are provided to learn to recognize and express feelings related to the life cycle.

Additionally, SFI offers immediate psychological support for grief through Serveis Integrals de Psicologia (SIPS).