Remembrance Events in Liverpool

28-29th November 2015

Our Day of the Dead celebrations are taking place this weekend in Liverpool City Centre at the Central Library and World Museum. Over the road at St George’s Hall, you can also pay your respects and view the beautiful poppy installation, Weeping Window, which will be on public display until January 17.

Photograph taken from Liverpool Echo

Remembering the dead can be a community experience, and although it may not appear to be everybody’s cup of tea, around 150,000 people came to see the poppies at St George's Hall in the first week they went on show. This astounding number is more than all of the people who saw the Weeping Window installation on show at a Northumberland museum over seven weeks.

Paul Cummins, who created the sculpture with designer Tom Piper, paid tribute to the people of Liverpool in a letter to the ECHO. He said: “I was so overwhelmed and delighted by the impressive display of Weeping Window at St George’s Hall. I was especially taken aback at the way that people of Liverpool have taken the installation to heart, showcasing their appreciation for the project and the install of Weeping Window itself.”

Weeping Window initially formed part of the larger installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which was on display at the Tower of London in 2014. Every ceramic flower represents a life lost by British and Commonwealth forces in WWI.

The display at the Tower of London

Photograph taken from Defence Imagery MOD

So if you’re in the city this weekend to see the Weeping Window, do a bit of shopping or visit one of the many attractions Liverpool has to offer – then call into Liverpool Central Library or the World Museum. Keeping the memory of late loved ones alive is a positive way to deal with loss. We don’t talk about the lives of the dead comfortably enough, and just because they’re gone from our view, doesn’t mean they are gone from our hearts.

Photo from The Bucket Project 

Bring along a photograph for our Day of the Dead altar at either event and we’ll have some frames available for you to use. Take time to personalise yours at our special craft station. If you haven’t got a photo we can use, you and any children you bring, may like to draw a picture, colour in or just write a few words. 

Photo from The Bucket Project 

Day of the Dead "Mexico" Celebrations

November 2015

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday typically celebrated on 1st and 2nd November. The purpose of these days is to celebrate and remember those that have died. Too often, we don't get the chance to talk about our loved ones who have passed, as some people shy away from what they perceive to be "morbid." Keeping the memory alive of those important to us can help with the grieving process, no matter how long it has been. We learn to live with our grief and trying to forget about the dead doesn't often help. We provide a safe space to remember, chat and leave a memorial photograph on our beautifully decorated altar.

Photograph from our November 2014 celebration

The tradition of honouring our ancestors and remembering the dead has a long standing history. All Souls' and All Saints' Days are observed on the same dates as the Day of the Dead. In modern times, people continue to create colourful altars adorned with photographs of departed loved ones, paper flowers, decorated skulls, candles and offerings of food that the deceased enjoyed whilst saying nice things and sharing happy stories of the deceased.

Our hand-decorated sugar skulls, mug and snow globe

These events help recognise that death is a natural part of the human experience; a continuum with birth, childhood and growing up. On these days, the dead re-join the community to share in the celebrations with their loved ones. We want to remember the dead throughout the year and will be organising a number of events at various locations.

Our next Day of the Dead celebrations are connected to Mexico. The prestigious venues have either a recent exhibition, or have just had one linked to Mexico. Recently, the World Museum was the only UK location to host the Mayas exhibition - you can find images of the fascinating objects that were on display here: Mayas: revelation of an endless time.

Liverpool Central Library are hosting Frida and Me: an exhibition about Frida Kahlo, who died in 1954 at the age of 47, and who is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Using Frida’s self-portrait as the main axis and guide, children will be able to question themselves about notions of their own life, and while playing, can get involved in several notions of art.

Both celebrations are completely free and suitable for all ages. These events could be a useful way of talking about death with children in a positive and friendly atmosphere with tools to help and direct your conversations. 

The first Day of the Dead event is on Saturday 28th November 2015 at Liverpool Central Library from 1-3pm.

Liverpool Central Library

Photograph taken from Wikipedia

The second event is on Sunday 29th November 2015 at the World Museum from 2-4pm.

World Museum Liverpool

Photograph taken from Wikipedia

Alongside our colourful altar will be a craft stall where you can decorate your own frame. Bring along a photograph or send us one in advance and we'll print it for you. We'd love it if you would also share a story about the person who died to accompany their photograph. Please email Rachael for more information.

Decorated frames on our beautiful altar

Holocaust Memorial Day 2015

Image taken from hmd.org.uk

Yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day, which marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Aushwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Candles were lit in Liverpool Town Hall every day on the run up to memorial day.

 

Not only are there events this month in remembrance of those who died during the Holocaust but people who were killed in genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. Across the UK people are ensuring that future generations never forget the awful persecution that so many have faced in the past. Take some time to search for events in your area and read the stories of those who were wrongly persecuted during the Holocaust. Whilst almost 6 million Jewish people were murdered in the death camps, other groups were targeted such as the disabled, political rivals and homosexuals amongst many more. Altogether almost eleven million people were murdered under the Nazi regime.

Image taken from flickr.com

This is still a significant event for many today and there is an obvious national grief. Through this grief we can educate people about the horrors populations have been subjected to in the past and in some places, are still being subjected to today. The only way to move forward is to learn from the past and never forget what happened during each of the genocides that took place.

 

There are a number of events being held this January to remember those who were lost during this time of great suffering, including a number of film screenings and talks at the Museum of Liverpool. Follow this link to find out what events are being run by the National Museums of Liverpool: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/events/holocaust-memorial-day-listings.aspx

 

Search online for events happening near you throughout January and February.

Day 3: Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014

We had a fantastic day yesterday, with our wonderful Dead Write workshop taking place between 11am-1pm. The discussion was extremely interesting, covering topics from trees and life to the therapeutic qualities of reading and writing poetry. Don’t worry if you missed this session, we have another taking place today from 5:30-7:30pm at Central Library. Ask for the Dead Write workshop at the information desk and they will point you in our direction!

Below is an excerpt of a poem written by Dave Ward from The Windows Project, who we have been working with in partnership to bring the Dead Write sessions to life.
 

I want to touch the clouds
But I cannot see them
For they are all around me
And you cannot see me
And I cannot see you anymore
Although I remember you –

The way you always were
Walking beside me through the fields,
Yellow, ochre, amber, green –
And we are side by side
And we kiss by the tree
As if we never kissed before
And we have never kissed before
For we are young again

If you would like to find out more about The Windows Project or contact Dave Ward to read more of his inspiring work, click HERE.

In other exciting news, BBC Radio Merseyside has been featuring different pieces each day surrounding the topics of death, dying and loss. You can find last night’s exclusive interview with Alison Germain on how to approach death with children HERE. Skip to 1:38:00 to hear the segment.

What have you been doing for Dying Matters Awareness Week this year? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter #YODO.

Pet Remembrance

Here is another intriguing excerpt from our latest newsletter:

 

Pets are an important part of many households, often becoming a member of the family. When they pass away, we want to honour them, much like we do with human loved ones. You might be surprised, but there is almost as wide a range of options for animals as there is for people.

This isn’t a modern practice; we have been burying and remembering our furry friends for thousands of years! Have you given thought to how you will remember your pet and how they will be laid to rest?

Take a look at these weird and wacky ways that animals have been honoured after death:

 

Mummified Moggies

In ancient Egypt, cats were seen as mysterious and were linked with certain deities. Sometimes owners would mummify their deceased cats in the hope they would join them in the afterlife. Others were used as offerings to their god or goddess counterparts and buried in cat cemeteries. These weren’t the only animals to be preserved by the Egyptians, dogs and birds have been found mummified and stored inside pots.

 

Image from newsdesk.si.edu

Man’s Best Friend

In the Middle Stone Age in Scandinavia, roughly 6,000 years ago, some of the first cemeteries were created and they included dogs! The graves of the hounds were remarkably similar to the human ones, showing they were loyal companions even then.

The ‘Perpetual Pet’

Some people can’t bear to part with a beloved pet, well there’s no need to in this day and age with specialised freeze-dry pet preservation technology. The deceased are put through a specialised process for up to 6 months and returned to their owner perfectly in tact and preserved in their natural state ready to re-join the household.

Extravagant Equines

Cats and dogs aren’t the only animals that people have lovingly buried in the past. Some people experience lifelong bonds with horses, with spectacular burials being discovered across the world. In China there were chariot burials and in the ancient Pazyryk Culture in Russia they elaborately adorned their horses and buried them with their riders when dead.

 

Image from pinterest.com

 

 

You can download the full newsletter here!