Light A Candle With Night Of Our Light
We’ll be transforming three Warwickshire churchyards into gardens of light with hundreds of candles as part of an evening dedicated to remembering loved ones who have died. The Night of Our Light event on 3rd November welcomes everyone to walk around, reflect and light a candle to honour friends and family in spirit, no matter where their loved ones are buried or scattered.
A Time To Remember
‘A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance’.
These words are familiar, spoken at many funerals, religious and secular. However, in our chaotic modern society, we don’t always set aside time to weep or to mourn, despite the fact that cultures throughout the ages have dedicated a period to remembering lost loved ones, taking time out to process and to heal.
This time of year is often characterised by a steadily increasing busyness, with Halloween, Bonfire Night and the approaching joy of the Christmas season. Yet, the beginning of November is traditionally associated with remembering, honouring and celebrating the dead instead of looking ahead to the next holiday.
Of course, Mexican culture makes a festival out of remembrance with the famous Day of the Dead, which brims with colours, candles, sugar skulls and costumes. However, at the root of this celebration is a dedication to the dead loved ones, giving them honour and welcome in the land of the living. It’s in this spirit of remembrance that we each light a candle for our loved ones for Night of Our Light.
Light A Candle
Night of Our Light takes place on the 3rd November, giving Warwickshire communities the chance to light a candle for their loved ones and listen to their names being read out as a sign of respect in the quiet of a local church.
To light a candle is a universal way of honouring a person across time and culture, and is the act at the very heart of this event. These tiny flames are lit in hospital chapels, private homes, graves and places of worship, guarding against the darkness and illuminating the shadows with heat and light.
Finding the words for grief can be immensely hard, but the simple act of lighting a candle requires no eloquence, just a straightforward way to acknowledge your loss and love for the person who has passed, allowing a focus for your thoughts and a channel for your emotions.
Members of the Jewish faith often light a candle on the anniversary of a death, also known as Yahrzeit. These long-burning candles burn for 25 hours, from sundown on the eve of the anniversary to sunset the following day, during which time prayers are said and observances are made, honouring the memory of the dead person.
Night Of Our Light
Candles burn bright for all people, no matter their faith, so we’ve created Night of Our Light, as not everyone has a gravesite that they can go and visit.
This November, the churches and churchyards of All Saints Harbury and Ladbroke welcome you to visit and view the magical spectacle of hundreds of candles adorning the churchyards. Should you wish, you can also enter the church to light a candle and listen to the reading of loved ones’ names, which will begin at 7pm. St Michael and All Angels at Ufton will also participate, although the building itself will be closed. In the event of rain, the Ufton event will not be able to go ahead, but Harbury and Ladbroke will encourage you into the candlelit building for a poignant evening of reflection and contemplation.
Find Out More
If you would like more information or would like to involve your church, please email admin@ourlightinside.com.
Night of Our Light is organised in association with Our Light Inside, who have created an online portal as a space for people to document their details, funeral plans and special messages to be shared with their loved ones after they die. Contact us to enquire about membership or ask questions by emailing help@ourlightinside.com.