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Death is a part of life, something that we’ll all be exposed to sooner or later. While grief never quite fades many people find the anniversary of a loved one’s death brings it to the surface. Finding a way to mark this anniversary, especially the first, and honor your departed loved one can help bring comfort and remind you that grief is the price we pay for love.
There are no ‘correct’ ways to mourn or of remembering someone on their death anniversary, but there are certain conventions that many people find comforting.Below, you'll find our suggestions for honoring a loved one.
Creating a personalized artwork featuring a loved one who has passed, can help you feel a connection to them. There are no ‘rules’ around this. Remembering and honoring a life is a personal experience that will be different for every mourner and every departed person. While there are certain conventions, you should feel totally free to do what feels right. Quite simply, all that matters is that the memorial fits both you and your relationship to the departed.
From the funeral service straight to the 10-year anniversary of their passing, the way we honor and remember loved ones changes over time. For example, during the funeral or memorial service, many families choose personalized Funeral canvas prints as a way to display a framed photo of the deceased as part of a memorial table.
Some people may prefer a favorite photo, others may want to go for something more expressive, highlighting the deceased’s personality. Commissioning a memorial artwork rather than a traditional photograph might also allow you to express these different feelings more accurately.
Many people find being physically close to their loved one, especially in the early years after their death, to be very comforting. Visiting the graveside, and placing floral tributes or other items, gives us a chance to renew that connection.
Some people like to do this alone, others like to gather as a group. Some will want to talk, others to sit with their thoughts and feelings.
Family and friends are often a great comfort and they’ll be mourning too. Getting together to celebrate the life of the passed person can remind you that they live on through the connections they made. These gatherings don’t have to be sad: you’re celebrating a life as much as you’re mourning its ending.
Spending the day together brings the chance to share memories, funny stories and, check in with others who may be mourning too. A memorial painting could help those attending such a gathering feel as if the person being remembered is there too.
There are those of us who find comfort in staying busy but taking the time to pause and reflect on what a person meant to us and what we miss can bring healing. The person may be gone but their memory lives on and taking the time to explore them, especially on the anniversary of their passing when they naturally come to the surface most easily can remind us that their impact on our lives didn’t end with their passing.
This act of reflection, whether you choose to do it by the graveside or anywhere else, can help with mental healing, reminding us that our connections are what makes us strong.
There are countless rituals that people use to memorialize their departed loved ones. Some are religious, some secular but perhaps the most common is the lighting of a candle. The candle provides a point of focus and a deeper symbolism as we look to honor the spirit of someone.
It’s not surprising that this ritual can be found across cultures and religions.
The immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death is a whirlwind of activity. Friends and family will generally rally around, offering support and organizing the funeral and estate can provide a practical distraction. Once all this activity ends, many people find that that is when they really start to struggle. As time passes again, these feelings will slide into the background, though they’ll never quite fade.
As the first anniversary approaches, it’s natural that your thoughts will turn to your missing loved one. This is a perfect time to find a way to honor their memory again. The best way of doing this will vary and it’s important that you do what you feel is right. A few suggestions might include:
Again, there really are no right or wrong things to do. What matters here is that you’re comfortable and that you feel you’re honoring the memory in an appropriate manner.
Remembering and memorializing a loved one can help bring a sense of solace to those who are mourning. While it may feel like reopening old wounds to start with, grieving is a healing process and while you may never fully ‘get over it’ allowing the process to play out will help.
The loss of a mother, sister, or another close person could be described as a mental wound. It may be painful, but remembering the good times can slowly start to bring closure and help you to recover from the trauma.
The pain may never fully pass, but taking a proactive stance on remembering them will slowly help you recover your mental strength.
Life and death come hand in hand and it’s not until we’re confronted with this stark reality that we can really come to terms with it. Once we have started the healing process, many people find that remembering their deceased starts to bring a sense of inner peace, rather than the pain they once felt.
If you’re grieving, it strongly suggests that the person who has died had a strong effect on you. Perhaps they helped raise you, molding you into the person you are. Part of remembering them is remembering the relationship that you had and how that relationship helped to form you into the person you are today.
Take time to notice things that they’ve left behind in you; a certain mannerism, a love of an activity. Not only will you feel closer to them, you’ll see that they’ve left a living legacy behind in all the people they touched.
Mourning is a personal process and we’ll all do it slightly differently. That being said, many people feel that the ‘best’ time to honor someone who has passed away falls on the anniversary of their death. What feels most appropriate will vary from person to person, loss to loss and by how much time has passed. Here are a few death anniversary ideas that you may feel are helpful.
During the first year after someone’s passing, the chances are good that the whole thing still feels very raw. Emotions may bubble up and any memorial activities should take care to embrace this.
Lighting a candle, visiting the graveside or, gathering their nearest and dearest together can all be therapeutic. Adding a loved one to a picture displayed at the gathering can help make it feel like they’re there.
Many people find that they need professional help in the immediate aftermath of a loss and it may feel that you have ‘fallen back’ as the first anniversary approaches. This is natural and if you feel the need, there’s no shame in booking an extra session.
At the five year mark, things will have changed. Here you might feel more comfortable with a more celebratory event. A party in the deceased honor offers a great opportunity for those left behind to gather, share their favorite memories and celebrate a life well lived.
If you don’t feel up to this, taking a moment of quiet reflection, looking through old photographs or doing whatever you feel is right in the moment are all equally acceptable.
After 10 years have passed, grief will have receded for most people. This doesn’t mean that you don’t still miss the person and feel the need to honor their spirit, but the nature of the memorial may shift. The gatherings may be smaller, focused on those closest to the loss, but they’re no less heartfelt.
Remembrance at the decade mark offers us a chance to reflect on life without those who have passed as well as remember all the links they forged in life.
Remembering someone on their death anniversary is a profoundly personal experience. Some people may pass the day with barely a note, others will feel old wounds reopen. If you’re wondering how to honor someone, there is simply no single answer. All options are equally valid.
Browsing our custom memorial gifts collection can inspire you if you’re looking to create a gift that pays a loving tribute and brings aspects of their personality back to mind.
Many people find that visual aids, such as a picture or a painting, can help them focus their thoughts on a memory. Other people may prefer a more active form of memorial like visiting special places they shared with the deceased. Some may want to gather friends and family, others may seek solitude and peaceful reflection.
Whatever feels right to you, the simple act of honoring someone on their death anniversary can help keep their memory alive while offering comfort to those left behind.
