Online funeral first in Spain’s Mallorca

THERE was a unique first in Mallorca this week when the island hosted a live internet funeral.
The strict regulations imposed across Spain to manage the coronavirus pandemic has radically affected the traditional format of funerals. The normal ceremony has been restricted to just 15 minutes, with 10 or fewer attendees.
Glynis German, a trained funeral celebrant, therefore organised and conducted the online ceremony with EFM Tanatorio Crematorio II at the Bon Sosec crematorium.
It was, Glynis told the Euro Weekly News, the world’s first funeral of this kind.
“It’s important that family get the closure with a positive goodbye and we accomplished that by using modern technology, thus enabling even wider participation by friends and relatives than usual,” Glynis commented.
Glynis pointed out that with just seven days’ notice for the funeral, it would have been impossible for family members of the deceased who live in other countries to have travelled to a ceremony in time. But thanks to the internet the deceased’s family members and friends from as far afield as the UK and the US were able to participate.
“Zoom technology allowed me to officiate the ceremony from my home, knowing that staff at the crematorium would advise me the moment they began the cremation so that the mourners and I would be synchronised at home, with everyone online for the ceremony,” explained Glynis.
She told EWN the family of the deceased agreed that the ceremony had been a beautiful experience and carried all the respect and solemnity usually accorded to the bereaved family on these occasions.
One mourner who joined the ceremony online from the UK commented; “What a lovely service, and much nicer than being at the crematorium.”