Every year on the second Sunday in December, Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting brings together family and friends from all around the world to light candles for an hour to remember the deceased sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and grandkids.
On this day, loved ones gather to memorialise children who have passed away too young. It is known as the Worldwide Candle Lighting Day. There is no loss that is greater than that of a child, and this day brings together everyone who has known the agony of losing a child.
It’s a day dedicated to friendship, empathy, and understanding. Even while it’s a day of sadness, it’s also one of hope, allowing people to see that even after losing a child too soon, life can still go on.
On this day, everyone gathers to light a candle together, as the holiday’s name suggests. A lost life is symbolised by this. At 7:00 p.m. local time, each person lights a candle. This causes an exquisite light wave to go from one time zone to the next across the world.
The largest mass candle lighting in history is reportedly taking place at this time. There are now thousands of both formal and informal lighting activities that take place, despite the fact that it began as a fairly small commemoration.
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History Of Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
Grief over the early death of a child can be unbearable and beyond that of any other human tragedy in intensity. In the aftermath of a child’s passing, there is no quick fix to mend the broken heart, fill the gap, or get over the utter anguish.
It is a difficult path to travel for parents, grandparents, and siblings to go through grief when a child’s life is taken away, regardless of the child’s age or whether the death was unexpected or expected. On this trip, many people experience feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The Reverend Simon Stephens, a chaplain at the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in England, saw a chance to bring two sets of bereaved parents together whose sons were both in the same hospital and were both in the latter stages of their lives in May 1968.
The parents of Kenneth Lawley, who was killed in a car accident, and Billy Henderson, who passed away from cancer, were Joe and Iris Lawley and Bill and Joan Henderson, respectively. The Reverend Stephens hoped that by sharing their stories and grieving for and with one another, the parents of these children would find solace and comfort.
They wanted to spread this healing salve to other parents grieving the loss of a child since the Lawleys and Hendersons found solace and support from one another as they shared their mutual anguish over losing a son.
In January 1969, The Compassionate Friends group was established after Reverend Stephens arranged their meeting with other grieving parents he had comforted in the hospital.
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day was established in 1997 as a yearly act of kindness by The Compassionate Friends of the United States to bring together the families of the sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandkids who left this world too soon.
The inaugural ceremony was a tiny internet event that has since expanded to hundreds of official and informal events all around the world. Local churches, funeral homes, hospitals, hospices, schools, cemeteries, memorial gardens, and community centres help sponsor hundreds of Worldwide Candle Lighting Day meetings today.
A memorial message wall where family members could post a tribute in honor and remembrance of their child, grandchild, or sibling was added by The Compassionate Friends in 2019 to their online memorial service.
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How To Celebrate World Candle Lighting Day?
People light candles for an hour to memorialize their loved ones on this day, which is observed with a peaceful elegance at 7 p.m. local time. It is a stirring occasion that transcends boundaries of geography and culture. At seven o’clock local time, everyone starts lighting their candles, illuminating remote regions of the world one at a time until the light has eventually spread to every corner of the planet.
If you have lost a child in your lifetime, now is a nice time to participate in the candle lighting ceremony in order to honour their memory. As they light their own candles in memory of the deceased kid, you could also ask a few close family members to spend this time with you.
But it doesn’t necessarily have to be a depressing occasion. The majority of children’s lives are spent having fun and making others laugh, so reflecting on all the things the child you are remembering was able to take pleasure in before passing may help to lighten the mood.
There is some comfort to be found in the knowledge that the kid’s life was excellent, despite its briefness. Of course, nothing will ever make up for the death of a child. Whether you choose to celebrate Worldwide Candle Lighting Day by lighting a candle at home or by attending a gathering, both actions serve to demonstrate love and community.
If you want to find out about events in your region, you can look them up online. If there are, you should easily be able to locate this information online. Simply do a quick search for events taking place in your neighbourhood. You should be able to discover the information on this page if your neighbourhood has a local Facebook group.
You can use this day to show support for anyone who have experienced the terrible loss of a child, whether it was your own, a grandparent’s, a friend, or someone else’s. One of your acquaintances may have lost a child.
If not, you can provide folks who share their personal tales of tragedy online warm and loving remarks to show your support. You may choose to make a donation or organise a fundraiser for one of the organisations that have been established to assist parents in coping with the death of a child. You might also donate your time.
Awareness-building for the event itself is always a smart idea. Worldwide Candle Lighting Day may wind up giving many people some hope, thus it’s important to let people know about it. You never know who might not have heard about it.
When individuals join their neighbours in embracing this act, they might not feel as isolated. You can share messages on social media that provide information about the day in general as well as any details regarding candle lighting events taking place nearby.
Conclusion
Every year, on the second Sunday of December, people all over the world gather to commemorate Worldwide Candle Lighting Day.
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day has nothing to do with the traditional religious or cultural Christmas celebrations, despite the fact that it is observed during the time of year that is considered to be the most joyful of all holiday seasons.
The event known as Worldwide Candle Lighting Day is a ritual when families who have suffered the loss of a child light candles virtually around the world for 24 hours straight to symbolise their empathetic support for one another.
On this day, those who gather to mourn children who have died away come together to participate in what is thought to be the greatest candle-lighting ritual in the world.
