Tribute to a Loved One: Scattering Ashes Ceremony Ideas
When deciding what to do with the ashes of your loved one, you don’t have to go to the extreme and have their remains tattooed on your arm, but there are plenty of unique scattering ashes ceremony ideas that you may love.
Saying a final farewell to a loved one is a sad affair, but making it a special and memorable event can make it a healing and respectful way to send them off. If you’re looking for a way to spread a deceased person’s ashes or thinking of ways that you would like your own remains scattered in the future, keep reading for some wonderfully unique ceremony ideas.
How to Make a Memorable Scattering Ashes Ceremony
Probably the most important thing to consider when planning a ceremony is what the person would have wanted. While saying goodbye is a therapeutic process for all involved, the deceased person should be honoured first and foremost.
Before picking out a specific ceremony plan, you should know what to expect and what to plan for.
Start Planning
To make sure that your ceremony has the respect you’re hoping for, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Make sure your invitees know what will be happening and coordinate with anyone that you’d like to make a speech or take part in the scattering ceremony.
It’s also important to know what can and can’t be done. Certain locations like Disney World are popular spots for scattering ashes but it’s actually not allowed and there are safety mechanisms that will dispose of those ashes.
Ashes Ceremony Ideas
Some of these ideas are more involved and complex than others. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with simple ideas as they can be somber affairs that allow people to reflect on the meaning of the scattering.
1. Floating Lanterns
If you have a spot in mind for scattering the ashes but you want to punctuate the scattering with a special moment, consider setting off floating lanterns. These lanterns are easy to light and they look beautiful as they float through the air.
Be sure to avoid areas that are at high risk of wildfires and take all proper safety precautions ahead of time.
2. Water of Life
Scattering ashes into water is a common way that people choose to say goodbye. Whether your loved one had a certain connection to a body of water or not, it’s a beautiful and fitting way to let the ashes spread and travel.
If spreading them in the ocean or a river, take a look at water-soluble urns that are made to slowly release the ashes into the water without damaging the environment.
3. A Sky-High Ceremony
For some people, a more dramatic send-off is fitting. Using a rocket may seem like a lot but it certainly is an unforgettable ceremony. Model rockets can spread the ashes into the air but confer with a professional first to make sure disaster doesn’t ruin the ceremony.
Dropping ashes from a plane is another dramatic way to allow your loved ones to fly. Reach out to local companies to find a pilot who knows how to perform this type of scattering. Discover more information and ways to treat the cremated remains.
4. Tend to Your Garden
It’s poetic to return ashes to the earth, and what better place than a beautifully tended garden. If your loved one had a green thumb or liked to spend time admiring a garden, then this is the perfect spot.
You can spread the ashes and then rake them into the earth, ensuring that their remains are part of the soil all over. You can also spread them with seeds to grow a tree or flowers, giving you something to look at and remember them.
5. Ceremonial Fire
Sitting around a campfire has been part of cultures and societies around the world forever. Friends and families sit around the campfire and tell stories or reflect on the deceased.
For more interaction, you can have each person toss the ashes into the fire after they share their memories of the person. Once the fire dies down, you can collect those ashes and then scatter them or place them in a special spot.
6. Favorite Locations
To make the scattering ashes ceremony personal to the person, reflect on the places that they loved in life. Were they a mountain climber who had a particular summit that brought them joy? Maybe they were a surfer who could always be found at a certain beach.
Consider these places when finding a place to scatter the ashes. These places that were important to the deceased are great places to give them a proper resting place.
7. A Special Stone
An expensive, but truly unique and special option is to turn the ashes into a diamond. Some companies are able to take the ashes of your deceased friend or family member and make a diamond from them.
A diamond-like this can then be a family heirloom, handing from generation to generation, letting the person’s memory last forever. This option is perfect for those that don’t want to get rid of the remains completely.
8. See the World
If you want to have one last adventure with the deceased and they had a passion for travel and seeing the world, why not take them on one last trip. You can bring all of the ashes or take a small amount from the ash scattering ceremony you may have had with friends and family.
Keep the ashes secure in a container and go around the world, experiencing the amazing places with them, respecting their memory and what they meant to you.
Ashes to Ashes
Mourning a loved one is tough and saying goodbye can take a toll on you but finding a way to celebrate their life through a scattering ashes ceremony can give closure to you and your friends and family.
Make sure you respect the deceased as well as the environment or owners of whatever land you will be scattering the ashes at. If these ideas were useful check out more insight on ways to improve your life and experience joy.
