All Souls Vancouver 2013 at Mountain View Cemetery

Dec 19 2017, 4:39 pm

All Souls is an annual series of events hosted by Mountain View Cemetery to honour and remember the dead, running from October 26 to November 2.

The family-oriented community events reflect the tradition of many cultures around the world where the days at the end of October and beginning of November are a time for honouring the dead in our lives through ceremony and celebration and the maintenance of family grave sites.

Mountain View’s All Souls events are free and include talks, presentations, crafts, and music that explore various traditions and rituals. This year’s main event begins on Saturday, October 26 with the lighting of the first fire at  6 p.m. Events take place in the cemetery at the end of October each year.

Mountain View Cemetery offers an ideal setting where you can engage with nature and history. Since the cemetery opened in 1886, it has become the final resting place of almost 150,000 people, including:

  • Vancouver mayors
  • Firefighters and police officers who died while on active duty
  • WWI and WWII veterans
  • Freemasons, Knights of Pythias, and Odd Fellows members
  • Victims of disasters, including the SS Sophia, Lakeview Tram, and Rogers Pass

All Souls Vancouver 2013 at Mountain View Cemetery

Location: Mountain View Cemetery, 5455 Fraser Street, Vancouver

October 26

  • Time: 6 to 10 p.m.
  • Details: Celebration Hall is open for the creation of personal memorials. Candles, flowers, and paper are by donation and are provided to create your own personal memorial. Tea will also be served. The cemetery registry is open for locating specific graves.
  • At 6:30 p.m. – Bring your lantern to Macdonald Park (44th Avenue and Prince Edward Street) and join a lantern lit musical procession to the cemetery.

October 27

  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Details: The Threshold Choir honour the tradition of bedside singing

October 30

  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Details: The demonstration of the sugar skulls tradition

October 31

  • Time: 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
  • Details: The Little Chamber Music Series that Could presents the world premiere of Canadian Nicole Lizée’s latest work

November 1

  • Time: 7 to 9 p.m.
  • Details: Display of the artist-created Shrines for Dia de Muertos and traditional Mexican music by El Mariachi

*From October 27 to November 1, Celebration Hall will be open each night from 6 to 9 p.m. for memorial making.

 

Source: City of Vancouver | Image: Marafona / Shutterstock

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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