Floating lantern ceremonies are a peaceful way to remember your pet. Dr. Tyler Carmack, who runs the Hampton Roads Veterinary Hospice in Virginia Beach, Va., is holding her organization’s first ever floating lantern ceremony on September 8. She expects at least 50 people to attend the free event where participants will write messages to their best friends on the lanterns. The group will read the pets’ names, float their lanterns across the water and spend a few moments of quiet reflection. “We wanted to do something special, and loved this idea because it’s nice, symbolic way to remember our pets.”
And, an Orlando, Fla., organization, Floating Lantern Memorials, recently began to help their local community of animal lovers come together to remember their beloved pets. At their first event in July, more than 100 people showed up to decorate lanterns and float them across Lake Baldwin in honor of their beloved pets.
Search online for an organization near you that might be holding a ceremony, or you can host your own by purchasing lanterns, writing messages on them to your pet, inviting your friends and family, and saying a few words. During a few moments of silence, float your lanterns in a pool, or get permission from the city to float in a pond or lake nearby.