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Memorialize loved ones at Vancouver’s annual All Souls event

The event was created as a way to honour the dead and help others share their traditions around death and mourning
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Starting Oct. 27, Vancouverites are invited to create memorials for passed loved ones and place them on a public shrine at Mountain View Cemetery until Nov. 1 | A Night for All Souls

The annual All Souls event will be returning to Vancouver for its 17th year, giving people a way to memorialize family and friends who have passed away. 

The unique artist-led event offers people in Vancouver a chance to memorialize loved ones at Mountain View Cemetery this month. Starting Oct. 27, people can create personal memorials and place them on a public shrine at the cemetery which will be in place until November 1.

“With the twin crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and opioid epidemic separating us from our loved ones, All Souls offers a respectful opportunity to grieve and reflect among community during this critical time,” the City of Vancouver wrote in a recent release.

All Souls will feature familiar shrines too, like a special tribute to the plum tree that has held the memorial cradles in the infant burial area. Mourners can also reflect and leave offerings at the ‘reDress’ memorial for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls where red dresses line the Crimson King maple tree.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several All Souls will be held online with the following virtual events.

Virtual events for 2021

•Oct. 23: A ‘Memorial Box Lantern Demonstration’ with artist Marina Szijarto, who will share instructions on crafting a personal memorial for the All Souls shrine, or personal at home shrines.

•Oct. 29: Introduction to Ancestral Lineage Healing, an online circle hosted by artist Marina Szijarto.

•Oct. 30: Mourner’s Tea, an online community dialogue about death and grieving through personal experiences. 

For details and instructions on how to register for these events, you can email [email protected] or visit nightforallsouls.com.