Danes are increasingly forgoing the cemetery and looking to bury mum, dad or other deceased loved ones in their own garden at home.

Last year, 52 relatives received permission to bury an urn containing the remains of a relative on private property – the highest number since the state church took over the administration of the cases in August 2008.

Most of the permits were handed out in the Aarhus diocese, where last year 17 mourners were given permission to bury an urn on their property.

This land was my land
“The relatives usually justify the wish by saying that the deceased had links to the property,” Pernille Lystbæk, a spokesperson at the Aarhus diocese, told Kristeligt Dagblad. “The property may have been in the deceased’s family for generations.”

Providing you live in a palace
However, only a few Danes are eligible to carry out their own burial, and it is safe to say it is a rural trend.

In order to be allowed to bury a loved one in the garden, the area of ground should be at least 5,000 sqm and the urn made of biodegradable materials.

The burial must be registered and the landowner is required to agree not to disturb the urn for at least ten years. No stone or memorial may be constructed.

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Although only a tiny fraction of Danes are looking to bury their loved ones on private land, the number has been growing in recent years.