When you choose to honor a departed loved one’s cremation wishes and scatter their ashes, you may have some idea of what to expect during the ash scattering ceremony. Whether you are scattering your spouse’s ashes in solitude or you’re with family and friends scattering another loved one’s ashes, you may expect to someone to say a few words and for the ashes to be scattered evenly and taken away by the wind. There are a few things that you might not be prepared for, though, and that no one ever seems to remember to tell you when you’re getting ready to say goodbye to a loved one for the last time.
You Don’t Have to Scatter the Ashes All at Once
First, you don’t have to decide on a single place and time to scatter all of your loved one’s ashes. You might want to turn this ash scattering into an annual ritual that you and your family do each year on the same date. Or you might want to save some of the ashes to place in cremation jewelry so that you can keep your loved one with you always.
You May Need to Get Permission
If your loved one wished to have their ashes scattered on private property, park land, or in a waterway, you may need to get permission before holding your ash scattering ceremony. Though there aren’t any police specifically tasked with ensuring that people aren’t scattering ashes where they don't have permission, getting interrupted by an officer or park ranger probably isn’t exactly what you want to remember about scattering a loved one’s ashes.
Stand Upwind if You’re Casting Ashes
Casting ashes into the wind is a beautiful part of many ash scattering ceremonies, but it can quickly become unpleasant and embarrassing if you or your friends and family members stand downwind of the person casting the ashes.
Bring Water if You’re Going to Touch the Ashes
If you are going to scatter or cast the ashes by hand, bring some water and a dry paper towel, as some of the ashes will likely stick to your skin and you don’t want to wipe them on your clothes. Speaking of logistics for scattering ashes, if you’re traveling by plane to scatter a loved one’s ashes, you may want to carry the ashes in your carry-on, as there’s no chance that they’ll get lost if your luggage is misplaced.
You can never be completely prepared for what you’ll feel and experience when scattering a loved one’s ashes, but now you should have a bit better understanding of what to expect from an ash scattering ceremony. Remember, there are many ways to memorialize a loved one who’s passed on, and one of the best for many people is to keep some of their ashes and seal them in cremation jewelry. Take a moment to browse through the options available at Johnston’s Cremation Jewelry.