When someone dear to a person passes away, it’s up to the family members to decide whether they will initiate burial or cremation services to celebrate their loved ones one last time. Part of cremation is holding a ceremony that allows you to scatter the ashes in a particular location to provide a meaningful experience to people present and most especially the departed.
Besides keeping up with cultural traditions, people often opt for the remains of their loved ones who are no longer with them to be cremated because of expensive funeral costs. Unfortunately, there are myths surrounding cremation, including not having the chance to hold a ceremony.
If you’re looking to honor your departed family before they crossover, you could consider scattering their ashes. Keep reading below to learn the proper ways to treat your loved one’s remnants and experience a solemn ceremony.
Arrange the Location and Invitees
Many people prefer cremation with a scattering ashes ceremony over traditional funeral services since they have more freedom to honor the souls of the departed. Depending on your loved one’s favorite place back when they were still alive, you could choose to spread their ashes over the ocean, mountains, or garden to remember them.
No matter what location you choose to initiate the scattering of ashes, you must ensure you have a firm plan involving inviting the right number of people to take part in the ceremony. If you’re planning to head out to sea, for example, the passengers will be limited. Meanwhile, taking them on a hiking trip to spread the ashes once you reach the top may be difficult if there are elderly and children involved!
When you’ve decided on a final location, and it’s considered a public area, make sure you have permission to hold the scattering ashes ceremony by contacting local government offices. Depending on the place, there could be policies that involve the disposal of ashes, so it’s best to know about them first before setting the venue and date of the ceremony in stone.
Plan the Entire Ceremony Beforehand
Since a ceremony involving the scattering of ashes is a non-traditional method of handling your departed loved one, you don’t always need to go to a cemetery. It’s up to you how you want the entire program to go and what it will involve.
You could reach out to a priest to lead a prayer, appoint a few family members to share their eulogies, have a speaker lead the entire program, or better yet, give the floor to anyone who wants to speak up. Aside from focusing on the ceremony, giving your invitees the directions on the location, time and date, and attire is essential.
Although it’s a unique way of celebrating your departed loved one, it’s still better to be prepared for it in advance to ensure people that make it to the ceremony know what to expect. The best thing to do is talk to your family members about it, so everyone is on the same page.
Practice the Most Important Part
After finalizing the details of the ash-scattering ceremony and determining how many people can make it to celebrate your beloved one final time, it’s time to practice the most critical part—opening the urn. Knowing how to spread the ashes is crucial because you want everything to go smoothly.
It will help to spend some moments and practice opening the urn a couple of times before the day of the ceremony. It’s necessary to do that, especially if it’s your first time, to avoid any unwanted incidents from happening that could ruin the scattering ashes ceremony.
Conclusion
A burial or a cremation is never an easy thing to witness for people who have lost someone close to them. However, it’s important to do it if you want to say goodbye to your loved one in a meaningful way, surrounded by the people that love them too. If you look into cremation costs and decide to hold a scattering ashes ceremony, it will help to remember the steps above to prepare you for one of the most emotional times in your life.
Are you looking for affordable cremation services in Jacksonville, FL, for your departed loved one? Evergreen JAX is a funeral home offering cemetery and crematory solutions for families in need. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our funeral services.
