"Oganj - association of cremation in Belgrade": Development, ideas and symbols

Abstract

And although the development and spreading of the idea of cremation, as well as mentioned laws, could be seen as the beginning of secularization of death death has remained, for a long time, closely associated with this or that religious beliefs and practice. Still, the development of the idea of cremation during the 20th century testifies on changes related to understanding of death among the contemporary, especially urban population in Serbia. This is particularly true for Belgrade and Novi Sad, although some other areas seem to be accepting new ideas and practices. The paper illustrates the development of the idea, its latent and real content, symbols used during its promotion. The accent is put on an ideological polarization that came about as a result of the development of cremation.

Keywords

• cremation
• ecology
• atheism
• secularization
• Belgrade
• Novi Sad
• church