Calendar of Events
Nov 4
Dia de Muertos Community Ofrenda
with Claudia Medina
Rotary Pavilion at ʔahʔǰumɩχʷ – ah joo miexw – Willingdon Beach
3 to 7pm
You are invited to bring a memento for the altar: a photograph, special object, flowers, etc.
We will have hot xocolatl, tamales and pan de muerto (dead bread) to share and enjoy.
3pm: Arrive to share your photos, mementos, food or flowers at the community gathering.
3:30: Opening ceremonies and live music and dance performances start
Community gathering, food sharing, music until evening
*Live Music and dance presentation organized by Blue Agave featuring Danza Azteca (Cemanahuac) with a ceremonial dance performance, Ballet Folklorico (Nahualli) performing traditional Mexican Dance and Special Performance by Mexican singer Chela Tumbao. Dinner presentation at Blue Agave to follow. More information here.
*Hot beverages provided by Iguanas Mexican Grill
About:
This community ofrenda is influenced by the Days of the Dead/Xantolo tradition of Mexico. There, households commonly set up an altar space to welcome their loved ones returning from “el otro lado/Mictlan”, the other side/realm of the dead. During these days our dearly departed are met with their favourite foods, drinks, and special objects so that they can feel connected to the land of the living.
Traditionally, the altar has flowers, especially marigolds, or cempoalxochitl, with a potent scent that attracts the spirits. We place a cup of water to quench the thirst of the spirits who have travelled so far, and candles to light their way. Incense, especially copal, is burned to cleanse the air of negative energy and make the spirits feel at home. Papel picado, the decorative coloured paper represents the element of air, which the spirits use to travel into the land of the living. Food, especially fruits and chocolate represent earth, the place where we grow our sustenance. In this way, the ofrenda holds the elements fire, air, water and earth, the fundamentals to life (and death) on this planet. Photos of our loved ones are placed on the altar, so that we can remember and honour their lives. These are days of joy, sadness, love and honouring, reminding us that we are all a part of the cycle of death and birth that makes each moment so precious.
The ofrendas are personal expressions of love created in a home, as well as a collective honouring of family and ancestors when they are created in public spaces. Our grief is personal, and yet our experience of grief and our own mortality is universal. We come together to share our personal grief and love for our loved ones who have left this world, knowing that we are connected through these cycles of life and death.
Tlazohcamati – Thank you, Claudia Medina
Nov 6, 13, 20
Memento Mori Book Circle
Facilitated by Anna Byrne, B.Ed., MTS
at qathet Art Centre
6:30 – 8 pm
Mondays; November 6th, 13th, 20th, 2023 (Please plan to attend each session)
$20 (for a copy of the book), by cheque, cash, or e-transfer
ABOUT
This three-session book circle will draw on a personal memoir as a template for exploring the universal themes of illness, aging, dying, grief, gratitude, and community. At the age of 32, Anna Byrne was diagnosed with a rare cancer and spent seven years in the medical system. She became a hospice volunteer and began writing about her experiences.
These sessions will include discussion, personal reflection, and facilitated inquiry about end-of-life topics in order to foster deeper engagement with life. Infused with beauty, poetry, and ritual, these gatherings will provoke questions and provide nourishment for the spirit.
A copy of Anna’s memoir, Seven Year Summer (Finalist, Whistler Independent Book Awards), included with registration.
Facilitated by Anna Byrne, B.Ed., MTS
Nov 7
Advanced Care Planning
hosted by Four Tides Hospice Society
at qathet Art Centre
10:30am – 12pm
An Advanced Care Plan states who should speak for you if you’re not able and sets out your instructions.
Join this workshop to get started on your plan.
Nov 15
Disposition of the Dead
with Sheila Peters
at qathet Art Centre
6 –8 pm
Host Sheila Peters gathers people to tell stories about the creative ways they disposed of their dead and how that helps keep a feeling of connection, often for years afterwards. Bring your stories to share.
Nov 16 – 30
Naguala
Claudia Medina Installation
at Crucible Gallery
Wednesday to Saturday 2 – 6 pm
“Naguala” is a mesmerizing video art installation that delves deep into the rich Mexican traditions of nagualismo, offering a captivating and immersive experience. This three-channel video and two-channel sound project explores the mystical realm of the naguala, where the boundaries between, animals, plants, earth, cosmos, reality and the supernatural, become blurred. The Naguala guide invites you to consider yourself beyond the human, forever transforming, continually being woven into the fabric of life and death.
Nov 18
TENDER Film Screening & Facilitated Discussion:
hosted by Community-Supported Dying qathet
at Patricia Theatre
1:30 – 3:30pm
Death care has historically found its place in the hands of knowledgeable community members, equipped to directly support the dying and bereaved. This film and facilitated discussion aims to rebuild and inspire some of these ancient and fundamental community practices.
Hosted by: Community-Supported Dying qathet (Jules Adam, Laurie Norman, Anna Byrne), in partnership with qathet Art and The Patricia Theatre.
About the film “TENDER”
Set against the stunning backdrop of the industrial seaside town of Port Kembla, Australia, a feisty and resilient community group have determined to take back the responsibility that most of us leave to someone else – to care for their own dead. Scattered throughout are stories that cut to the core revealing why this small band have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo.
As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. TENDER is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and beautifully funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life…its end.
About the Film Event
Community-Supported Dying (CSD) aims to build community literacy and social infrastructure where those who are dying and bereaved are returned to a central, honoured and supported place.
This film event will explore the current and historical context of hands-on community-supported death care. Globally, death care has historically found its central place in the hands of community members knowledgeable and equipped to directly support the dying and bereaved. These teachings and practices have been passed down for thousands of years. It is only within the last 50-100 years that many of these teachings have been forgotten. This film and facilitated discussion aims to rebuild and inspire some of these ancient and fundamental community practices.
Hosted by Julia Adam, Anna Byrne, Laurie Norman
Total time: 2 hours
Memento Mori Festival is hosted by qathet Art in collaboration with Four Tides Hospice Society, Community-Supported Dying qathet, Claudia Medina, Anna Byrne, and Sheila Peters.
With support from the BC Arts Council and the Province of British Columbia.