When it comes to scattering the cremated remains of a departed family member, there are many different routes that you can take. While simply scattering the remains from an urn in a chosen location is a standard approach that many grieving families use, another option is to consider a trenching ceremony. This idea, which you execute alongside the water, can be poignant and may especially be fitting for honoring someone who enjoyed being in the water. Here are some details to know about organizing a trenching ceremony.
How It Works
A trenching ceremony essentially allows you to release your loved one's cremated remains into the water in a special way. Instead of being out on the water in a boat, or tossing the remains off the end of a dock, you actually dig a small trench in the sand or dirt at the edge of the water, place the cremated remains in it, and then wait for the water to fill the trench and carry the remains away. There are many different ways to approach this method of dispensing the remains and if there are several family members who will attend the ceremony, each person can play a role.
Trench Preparation
Although there's no "right" way to prepare the trench, you generally want to use a small hand trowel to dig a narrow and shallow trough perpendicular to the edge of the water. Assess how the waves or tide are coming in, because you don't want the water to cover everything before you're ready. One approach is to have each person in your family contribute to the trench by removing a trowel's worth of sand or dirt. You may also wish to place tall candles in the dirt along the edges of the trench.
Waiting For The Water
If you're doing your trenching ceremony at the edge of a lake where the waves come onto the beach every few seconds, you'll want to dig the trench but avoid opening the edge that faces the water until you're ready. You can scatter the remains in the trench and, in between waves, dig away the last bit of sand at the end of the trench so that the water will fill the trench when it flows onto the beach. If you're performing the ceremony at the edge of the ocean, you'll need to research in advance when the tides come ashore and plan the ceremony's time accordingly.
For more information about funeral services, contact a business like Danks-Hinski Funeral Home.
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