Worldwide Candle Lighting Day 2023: Global Candle Lighting Day is observed annually on the second Sunday of December. While observed during the holiest of holiday seasons, Worldwide Candle Lighting Day is not associated with conventional Christmas celebrations that are religious or cultural.
World Candle Lighting Day is a 24-hour electronic candle-lighting celebration that symbolizes bereaved families’ empathy. Child loss mourners gather for the world’s largest candle-lighting ritual.
The History of International Candlelighting Day
When a child prematurely passes away, the anguish experienced can be unparalleled in comparison to any other calamity involving human beings.
No single solution can heal the emotional upheaval, empty void, and profound anguish that follow a child’s death. When a child dies, parents, grandparents, and siblings face a difficult journey through sorrow, regardless of age or predictability. Feelings of solitude and isolation are frequently present on this journey.
In May 1968, Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital chaplain Simon Stephens joined two sets of mourning parents whose kids were critically ill. Reverend Stephens wished Billy Henderson’s parents, Joe and Iris Henderson, whose son Kenneth perished in a traffic accident, and Bill and Joan Henderson comfort and unity through their tales.
The healing salve that the Lawleys and Hendersons desired to impart to other parents grieving the loss of a child was the solace and encouragement they received from their mutual sorrow over the death of their son. Reverend Stephens, who had previously offered consolation to grieving parents at the hospital, presided over the meeting. As a result, the Compassionate Friends organization was established in January 1969.
The Compassionate Friends of the US established Worldwide Candle Lighting Day in 1997 to bring together the families of prematurely deceased sons, daughters, sisters, siblings, and grandchildren. From a small online event, the initial ceremony today has tens of thousands of official and informal meetings worldwide.
Community centers, schools, cemeteries, hospitals, hospices, funeral homes, and cemeteries currently facilitate hundreds of Candle Lighting Day celebrations worldwide. The Compassionate Friends implemented a virtual Worldwide Candle Lighting Memorial Wall in 2019. This platform allowed bereaved family members to post memorial messages in remembrance and honor of a deceased child, grandchild, or sibling.
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Worldwide Candle Lighting Day 2023 Activities
Provide an account for The Compassionate Friends.
Today, endeavor to locate the chapter of The Compassionate Friends that is nearest to you. Convey the family’s sincere condolences in a personal, handwritten greeting that includes the chapter’s contact information. A handwritten note is more fitting and personal for someone who has lost a child.
Advocate for International Candle Lighting Day
Families, friends, and neighbors share neighborhood events and special needs mostly on social media. Worldwide Candle Lighting Day social media posts should begin one month before the second Sunday of December. Create a hyperlink to the event’s website. If you are planning to attend the event, inform others.
Attend a ceremony commemorating Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
Designate a specific period on your calendar to commemorate and pay tribute to the children, grandchildren, or siblings to whom you or others have said farewell in the past year. You have the option of lighting a candle at 7:00 p.m. local time or participating in a ceremony with others. For information on organizing a community gathering, please contact the Compassionate Friends chapter in your area if none is currently organized. You will be bestowing upon members of your local community an enduring gift.
WORLDWIDE CANDLE LIGHTING DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | December 10 | Sunday |
| 2024 | December 8 | Sunday |
| 2025 | December 14 | Sunday |
