Sample Ceremony Script
Below is a suggested script to use during your campfire ashes ceremony. For this version of the script, be sure to include a summary of the important milestones of your ashes' legacy. Soon, FireLegacy.org will provide this summary automatically.
Script
Legend has it that Baden-Powell would always take a small amount of ashes from a ceremonial campfire and spread these ashes into the next campfire. The main purpose of these ashes is to share with you the memories of past campfires and to bring to all Scouts and Scouters the International aspect of the World Brotherhood of Scouting.
Will anyone with campfire ashes please come forward and join me.
Give a moment for others with ashes to join the campfire leader.
The ashes I spread into this campfire...
...insert your ashes' history...
I will now charge these ashes to this campfire.
Lord Baden-Powell said:
“We carry our friendships with us in these ashes from other campfires with comrades in other lands. May the joining of the past fires with the leaping flames of this campfire, symbolize once more the unbroken chain that binds Scouts and Guides of all nations together. With greetings from our brothers and sisters around the world, I add these ashes, and the fellowship therein, to our campfire.”
It is a tradition that after the fire has died down, the ashes are stirred, and all those present at the ceremony carry ashes away from the campfire. Seeing how special these ashes are you might be tempted to set them in a place of honor and never open them or use them again, but the richness of this tradition is not in keeping the ashes; but in the sharing of ashes. We encourage you to spread this tradition to your home units, and to the youth that you serve.