All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery 2024
byAll Souls at Mountain View Cemetery, now in its 20th year, invites people of all ages to remember their ancestors, family and friends who have passed away. Participants can write messages, light candles and place personal memorials on shrines. All are welcome to attend, even if their loved ones are not buried at the cemetery.
All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery
- Dates: October 24 to November 1, 2024
- Location: 5455 Fraser St, Vancouver
The shrines will be kept lit throughout the memorial period during which the cemetery’s contemplative atmosphere will be enhanced with ambient live music in the evenings and weekend afternoons.
Schedule of Events
- Memorial Box Lantern Kits October 24 – November 1: Kits are available outside the cemetery office, to take home and personalize, and can be placed on shrines October 24 onwards.
- Opening Ceremony October 24: Enjoy the annual ceremonial fire and public shrine opening at 6:00pm (sundown).
- Public Shrines October 24 – November 1: Light candles, write messages and leave personal memorials.
- Red Dress Memorial October 26: Elder Kelly White and Strawberry Spirit Singers honour the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
- Ceremony for our Ancestors October 26: Gather at the Swedish Fire at 6pm. Then enjoy tea, memorials and a reflective slide show at the Celebration Hall from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
- Chinese Funeral Practices October 27: Walter Qua shares traditional Chinese funeral practices. Come fold joss paper and make an offering from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
- Closing Ceremony, November 1: Join the annual walk to each of the shrines to close the event from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.
About All Souls & Mountain View Ceremony
Mountain View Cemetery, located at Fraser Street and East 39th Avenue, opened in 1886 and is the only cemetery within Vancouver. Owned and operated by the City of Vancouver, the cemetery is an important civic space and provides interment options and event space.
The cemetery is an embodiment of Vancouver’s history, serving as the final resting place of almost 150,000 people, including several past mayors; veterans from World Wars; notable citizens such as Vancouver’s first lifeguard Joe Fortes and businessman and activist Yip Sang; and people of varied faiths, ethnicities, ages and contributions to Vancouver’s past, present and future.
All Souls emerged out of a collaboration between artists Paula Jardine and Marina Szijarto, who came together in 2005 to find artistic ways to honour the dead and provide opportunities for people to share their traditions in a gentle and tranquil atmosphere.
Throughout the years, the event has been touched, changed and inspired by the many artists, community participants and members of the public who have shared their love and regard for their dead.
This year marks the final occasion in which founding artists Jardine and Szijarto will lead All Souls in its current format. The cemetery will be reviewing its protocols and approach to supporting sacred, artist-led events to ensure these traditions are maintained in a meaningful and sustainable way.
