with the intention of sprinkling a loved one’s ashes around the park. In fact, it happens so often — about once a month, reportedly — that custodians have a special code name for handling it.

Then, the balloon grows three to four times in size and, as the air pressure drops to about one-hundredth of that on the ground, it ruptures, scattering the ashes. The funeral costs 240,000 yen ($ ...

A local council in South Australia has designated a beach site for the Hindu community to perform rituals, including the scattering of ashes in flowing water. Credit: Getty/Supplied by Snowden ...

Traditionally, scattering ashes onto flowing water is done soon after cremation. In Adelaide, until recently, many families waited months - or even years - to return ashes to their homeland.