Scattering your ashes in a meaningful location can be a beautiful way for your loved ones to farewell you. However, before having your ashes scattered, there are a few factors that you may need to consider. This blog post aims to guide you through these considerations.
Necessary Permissions
Firstly, you will need to consider any legal or regulatory requirements related to the location where you would like to have your ashes scattered. For example, if your preferred location is on another person’s private property, you will need to obtain permission from that person to access the site. Permissions may also be needed from the relevant council for scatterings in public places such as parks or reserves. Similarly, you may require the permission of the captain of any vessel involved in scattering ceremonies at sea.
Long- and Short-term Accessibility
Additionally, it may be beneficial to consider any issues that may arise in relation to accessibility of the site. For instance, you may have family members with impaired mobility who won’t be able to attend your scattering ceremony if the area is hilly or uneven. Moreover, the owners of private property could sell their land in the future, and any new owners may choose to restrict your family’s access to the site. It may also be worth checking with the local council whether any relevant parks or reserves are marked to become housing developments or business hubs in the future. If you consider that accessibility may become compromised, you may need to identify another location for the scattering. Alternatively, you may opt to have your ashes interred in a cemetery or stored in an urn in a loved one’s home.
Environmental Considerations
While there is no evidence of any resulting contribution to ocean pollution where biodegradable floral arrangements are used, the scattering of ashes can be harmful to the environment in certain circumstances. For example, where ashes are scattered in large quantities in one location, the pH balance and nutrient levels of the soil may be disrupted, and plant life negatively affected. Similarly, scattering ashes can pollute fresh water. However, there are ways in which these impacts can be minimised, including avoiding having scattering ceremonies on windy days, trying to scatter the ashes as close to the ground or water surface as possible, getting the ashes neutralised before scattering them, and avoiding bodies of water where people swim, bathe, fish, or drink from.
Cultural Considerations
Cultural factors may also affect the decision of whether and where to scatter your ashes. Some cultures, like Māori, consider the scattering of ashes in or near water to be unacceptable. Others, like Hindus, consider it integral to entering the afterlife. As such, it is important to be conscious of and sensitive to any cultural aspects that are at play. In a case of cultural conflicts on this point, local regulations may prohibit scatterings in certain locations, or may only allow them with special permissions and in limited circumstances.
Points of Etiquette
When scattering ashes, it is important to do it in a way that respects others in the area. As such, you should ensure that you do not schedule your scattering ceremony for a windy day and try to be as discreet as possible if it will be taking place in a public space. If any debris or remnants remain after the scattering ceremony, you should organise for this to be cleaned up.
A Process to be Proud of
Ultimately, the decision of whether to have your ashes scattered rests with you. If you choose to have your ashes scattered, it is important to take appropriate care to ensure that you select a suitable location, obtain all relevant permissions, minimise the environmental impact, and show respect for others in the area. In this way, you can rest assured that the process is one to be proud of. My Final Farwell
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