Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about grave care, remote grave care, candles and flowers, obituaries, online memorial pages and funeral donations — and to the quiet questions of the heart: dignity, closeness and remembrance across any distance.
About Oaza Mira
What is Oaza Mira?
Oaza Mira is a digital remembrance and memorial platform. Families order professional grave care from any distance, receive clear photo proof after every visit, and can manage obituaries, online memorial pages and funeral donations in one place.
How does remote grave care work with Oaza Mira?
You register the grave in the app, choose a service (such as cleaning, candles or flowers) and confirm the order. A verified local caretaker carries out the work — you receive photos as soon as the order is completed.
Who takes care of my loved one's grave?
The work is done by verified local caretakers. Every job is documented with before/after photos so you can be sure it was carried out with care — you always have an up-to-date picture of the grave site. In addition, the caretaker is happy to note observations during the visit and give maintenance recommendations: for example, if a damaged joint on the marble slabs should be repaired before winter, before freezing rainwater causes damage.
Which services can I book with Oaza Mira?
You can book one-time or recurring grave care: cleaning, candles, flowers and wreaths — available services can vary by cemetery and region. In addition, you can create obituaries, set up online memorial pages, collect donations for funeral costs, and create and manage public graves and memorials.
How do I know the grave care was actually done?
Every order ends with photo proof: you receive before and after photos directly in the app as soon as the work at the grave is finished.
Which languages does Oaza Mira support?
Oaza Mira is available in German, English and Croatian — both the website and the web and mobile app at app.oaza-mira.app.
Grave care: knowledge & guide
How often should a grave be tended?
As a rule of thumb: from spring to autumn, check on the grave every one to two weeks and remove weeds and leaves. If you live far away, plan at least two to three thorough care visits per year — for example a cleaning in spring, in summer and before All Saints' Day — or set up recurring professional care.
What does grave care include?
Grave care includes removing weeds and leaves, cleaning the headstone and borders, and placing candles, flowers or arrangements for special occasions.
Who is responsible for maintaining a grave?
This depends on the country and the cemetery's regulations. As a rule, the person holding the right of use for the grave site is responsible — often the next of kin or heirs. If a grave is permanently neglected, the cemetery administration can issue reminders and, as a last resort, level the grave site.
How much does professional grave care cost?
Costs vary widely by region, grave type and scope: simple services such as a basic cleaning often start around 50 euros, more involved work such as high-pressure deep cleaning or impregnation quickly reaches 200 to 350 euros and more depending on the grave size, and year-round recurring care can cost several hundred euros per year. With Oaza Mira you see the price of every service transparently in the app before you book — and you always get the best value for money: we aim to offer you the same price you would pay the local caretaker directly. Honestly compare that with what a visit of your own costs — travel, often several hours of your time, from abroad even flights and accommodation — and care via Oaza Mira is usually the cheaper and always the more convenient solution.
How do you clean a headstone properly?
Use a soft brush, clean water and mild soap — no aggressive cleaners. Be careful with marble, limestone and sandstone: these materials are porous and pressure washers can damage them. Granite tolerates regular gentle cleaning well. Delicate or historic stones are best left to professionals.
What can I do if I live far away and can't tend the grave myself?
Many people first ask relatives or neighbours — but over time this quietly becomes a burden for both sides: you don't want to keep asking, and the uneasy feeling of imposing on others remains. A traditional cemetery gardener ties you to rigid contracts — and from far away you never see with your own eyes whether the care really happened. With Oaza Mira, the care stays in your own hands without burdening anyone: you book each service one-time or recurring, a verified local caretaker carries it out, and the photo proof on your phone gives you the reassuring certainty, every single time, that your loved one's grave is cared for with dignity — no matter how far away you live.
Ordering grave care
How do I recognise a trustworthy grave care service?
Reputable providers state transparent prices, document their work with photos, communicate reliably and take special remembrance days into account. With Oaza Mira, photo proof after every visit and verified caretakers are a fixed part of every booking.
Can I order grave care from abroad?
Yes. That is exactly what Oaza Mira was built for: you order the care conveniently via the app — whether you live in another city or on another continent — and the photo proof shows you that everything was done.
Can I book one-time or recurring grave care?
Both. You can book one-time services (for example a deep clean before a remembrance day) or set up recurring care: cleaning, candles, flowers and wreaths. Available services can vary by cemetery and region.
Can I set up care and decoration months or years in advance?
Yes. You set up the recurring care once — plus the occasions that return every year: the anniversary of death, the birthday, All Saints' Day, Christmas. From then on you never have to think of a date again, because we do: the grave stays cared for and decorated with dignity over months and years, and every photo shows it to you. You can adjust or pause at any time.
Can I have candles or flowers placed at the grave for special occasions?
Yes. You can have candles, flowers or arrangements delivered to the grave for occasions like anniversaries of death, birthdays, All Saints' Day or Christmas — even if you cannot be there yourself. And whenever it matters to you beyond these occasions: we and our caretakers are there for you at any time.
Candles, flowers, bouquets & wreaths
Which candles can I have lit on a grave?
From a single remembrance candle to a grave light that burns for several days: you choose the candle in the app, the caretaker lights it at the grave with dignity, and you receive a photo — often it is exactly this sight of the burning light that brings comfort. The available selection can vary by cemetery and region.
Can I have a candle lit simply because I am thinking of someone?
Yes — no occasion needed. Many families have a candle lit simply because they miss the person today: after a dream, on a hard day, or because a song brought back a memory. A few minutes in the app — and a light burns at the grave, as if you had lit it yourself.
Which flowers and bouquets are suitable for a grave?
Classic choices are seasonal bouquets and arrangements: chrysanthemums for All Saints' Day, roses or the loved one's favourite flowers for birthdays and anniversaries, understated white bouquets as a quiet sign of connection. In the app you choose the arrangement, the caretaker lays it down with dignity — and the photo shows you how beautiful it turned out.
When do you bring a wreath to a grave?
Wreaths are among the most dignified signs of remembrance: for the funeral, the anniversary of death, All Saints' Day and Christmas — in Croatia traditionally above all in the days before Svi sveti. Via Oaza Mira you order the wreath from any country in the world and know from the photo proof that it lies at the grave in time, and beautifully.
Can I send a wreath to a funeral from abroad?
Yes. If you cannot travel in time, you order the funeral wreath via Oaza Mira from any country in the world — it is brought to the funeral with dignity, and you receive a photo. Your sign of sympathy is there, even when you cannot be. Please order as early as possible so everything can be prepared in time.
Grave care in Croatia & for the diaspora
How can I have a grave in Croatia cared for if I live abroad — in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia or anywhere else?
That is exactly what Oaza Mira is for: you register the grave in the app, book cleaning, candles or flowers, and a verified local caretaker in Croatia does the work — with photo proof sent straight to your phone. The Croatian community lives all over the world, from Europe across North and South America to Australia and New Zealand — Oaza Mira works from any country in the world. Your family's grave in the homeland stays cared for, even if you can only travel there once or twice a year.
What is the Croatian grave fee (grobna naknada) and what happens if it is not paid?
The grobna naknada is a yearly fee paid to the cemetery administration for the upkeep and management of the cemetery. Important: paying the fee does not release you from the duty to maintain the grave itself. Under Croatian cemetery law, the right of use can be lost if the fee remains unpaid for many years — the administration then publicly requests payment and can afterwards reassign the grave site. The exact rules are set by each cemetery administration.
Will I lose the grave in Croatia if I cannot maintain it from abroad?
The right of use generally remains as long as the grave fee is paid and the grave is not permanently neglected. In case of lasting neglect or unpaid fees, the cemetery administration can step in. With a care service like Oaza Mira you keep the grave in good condition from any distance — including photo proof as documentation.
How are graves in Croatia prepared for All Saints' Day (Svi sveti)?
All Saints' Day (1 November) and All Souls' Day (Dušni dan, 2 November) are the most important remembrance days of the year in Croatia: in the days before, graves are cleaned and decorated with chrysanthemums, wreaths and candles, and families visit the cemeteries together. With Oaza Mira you can book cleaning, candles and flowers in time for Svi sveti — even from abroad.
Can I have a candle lit on a grave in Croatia from abroad?
Yes. You select the grave in the app and book a candle — for the anniversary of death, All Saints' Day, birthdays or simply in between. The local caretaker lights the candle and you receive a photo as confirmation.
Dignity, closeness & family
I feel guilty because I can so rarely be at the grave. Is that normal?
Yes — and you are not alone. Almost every family living far from the graves of their loved ones knows this quiet feeling of guilt. But distance is not indifference: you carry the person in your heart, wherever you live. It helps to give your care a form — a candle on the anniversary, a tended grave, a photo that shows everything is dignified. That is exactly what Oaza Mira is for.
Who in the family is responsible for the grave — and what if there are tensions about it?
In many families, grave care quietly ends up with one person — usually whoever lives closest. Over time this creates tension: some feel left alone with it, others don't know how to help from afar. Transparency solves it: with Oaza Mira you invite your family directly into the app — every member can book services and share the costs, wherever they live, and the photo proof shows everyone the same picture. Quiet burden becomes shared care: remembering together, caring together.
How do I stay close to someone I have lost, from far away?
Closeness does not need presence — it needs rituals. A candle on the anniversary of death. Flowers on their birthday. An online memorial page with photos and memories the whole family can contribute to. The look at the photo of the tended grave before All Saints' Day. Oaza Mira puts these rituals in your hands — dignified, reliable, from any country in the world.
Is it disrespectful to leave the grave care to someone else?
Quite the opposite: it shows the grave matters enough to you to know it is in good hands. Our caretakers work with the same care and respect with which cemetery gardeners and sextons have tended graves for generations. Dignity does not lie in who does the work — but in the fact that it is done: lovingly, reliably, and on your behalf. Through the photo proof, you remain the one guiding the care.
I cannot make it to the funeral in Croatia — how can I still pay my respects?
Sympathy knows no distance. You can have a funeral wreath or flowers delivered to the burial, have a candle lit at the grave, offer condolences and share memories on the online memorial page — and support the family with a donation towards the funeral costs. You are there, even when you cannot be there.
Obituaries & online memorial pages
How do I create an obituary online?
In the Oaza Mira app you create an obituary in a few steps: enter the details of the deceased, choose text and picture, publish it and share it with everyone the person mattered to — family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and more.
What do you write in an obituary?
Common elements are: the name and dates of the deceased, a mourning verse or personal words, the names of the family, the place and time of the funeral service, and special wishes — for example "Instead of flowers, we kindly ask for a donation to …".
What is an online memorial page?
An online memorial page is a personal place on the internet where photos, memories and condolences for a deceased person are collected — accessible any time, from anywhere. With Oaza Mira you set up such a memorial page for a family member, friend or colleague directly in the app.
Donations & funeral costs
How can I collect donations for a funeral?
A funeral can quickly cost several thousand euros. With Oaza Mira, families, friends, colleagues, associations or companies can set up a donation collection, share the link with their community and manage all contributions transparently in one place — dignified support in a difficult time.
What does "donations instead of flowers" mean?
Many families ask in the obituary for a donation instead of wreaths and flowers — for a good cause or to support the family, for example with the funeral costs. A common wording is: "Instead of flowers, we kindly ask for a donation to …".
Can I collect funeral donations through the obituary?
Yes — and that is the easiest way: you publish the obituary in the Oaza Mira app and connect it with a donation collection. Everyone who sees the obituary can contribute directly — family, friends, colleagues and compatriots from any country in the world. All contributions are managed transparently in one place, as dignified relief in the hardest days.
Want to go deeper?
Our guides offer in-depth articles — from Croatia's new cemetery law to preparing for Svi sveti.
Browse the guides