Festival 2022

Remember to Remember – A Day of the Dead Event

Organised by The Women's Centre Glasgow

1^st November from 1-3 pm.

The Women's Centre, 17 Shawpark St, Wyndford, Glasgow G20 9DA

The Women's Centre is hosting "Remember to Remember - A Day of the Dead Event" to come together and celebrate the lives of loved ones lost and to reflect on how we talk and deal with grief.

The Day of the Dead festival in Mexico is a celebration where families and friends come together to demonstrate love and respect to deceased family members. This is done through celebrations, food, music and dance. It is also tradition for families to lay out belongings of deceased ones at a shrine within their homes.

Grief can often leave people feeling lonely and isolated. The Women’s Centre "Remember to remember – Day of the Dead event" aims to bring women together from the community to participate in a respectful way to open up the discussion around grief and to help reduce isolation that people may experience.

We will be holding an art workshop to create a memory tree whereby attendees will be invited to bring a photo of a loved one they wish to remember or alternatively can add words of comfort. There will also be a personal letter writing exercise for expressing emotions.

There will be poetry, food and music and a supportive environment to help break the barriers around grief and isolation.

There are limited spaces, to book on to the event call: 0141 576 1400.

Photo credit: The Women's Centre, Glasgow

Comforting Karaoke - remembering through song

Organised by Sacred Heart Sanctuary volunteers

The event will take place 6 November 2022 at Dysart Community Hall.

Our event was born bringing together two important things: grief and music.

Music is so healing, even the music that makes us cry.

We invite you to come along and remember your loved one through song.

Bring along their photos and place it beside a candle burner and take your time to think of a song.

Once we are all in and a have had a wee chat, we are going to have a karaoke.

We will sing some of the songs.

You can participate or listen the choice is yours.

Tha main thing is we will laugh we may cry but we will be remembering them.

There will be a side for singing and a side for chatting.

We will bring all our skills to the ceremony and talk of powerful ways to help cope with grief. And remember we too shall die someday.

Kid-friendly event because kids grieve too and to us, it's so important their grief and pain can be seen. Also, we are providing coping mechanism that children can use to say I am sore today in different ways.

You will receive a little take home gift as a reminder.

Photo credit: Sacred Heart Soul Doulas

Understanding and supporting bereavement through creative approaches

Organised by University of Dundee staff.

Dundee Comics Creative Space on Wednesday 2^nd November 2022, 6-7:30pm. See the Eventbrite page.

There will be the launch of a new comic and an opportunity for the attendees to participate on a Memorial Tree and Toast to Absent Friends.

University of Dundee academics, colleagues, students and the artist Monty Nero have come together to create The Bereavement Charter Mark, a comic that aims to guide employers and employees to learn about the application for the Bereavement Charter Mark and the benefits of creating a bereavement-friendly workplace. See more here.

To mark this occasion, the organising team, comics artists, and a celebrant Dr Janet Foggie, will provide an opportunity for those who would like to take part in a Memorial Tree. A memorial (mural) ‘tree’ will provide the backdrop against which paper leaves and origami birds will hang. Attendees will have the option of writing and/or drawing a thought, memory, message, poem, word or image. To close the session, we would like to invite all to raise a glass and Toast to Absent Friends.

*Both commemorative ‘leaves’ and ‘birds’ can be taken away or left with others.

Illustration credit: Monty Nero

Good Grief Dundee – a space for everyone

Organised by Say Something Dundee

Say Something Dundee invites you to take a moment to remember your absent friends at University of Dundee Botanic Gardens.

As part of this year’s To Absent Friends Festival, Say Something Dundee would like to invite you to enjoy the late Autumn surroundings of the University of Dundee Botanic Gardens while experiencing the thought-provoking Colin Gray photographic exhibition ‘It Takes a Village’ (more info in Eventbrite link below). Come along anytime between 5^th-11^th November 10-3pm and take some time to remember your own absent friends.

By registering on Eventbrite you can gain free access to the gardens and exhibition.

On Friday the 11^th November we will gather between 2pm and 4pm to bring to a close the exhibition and join together for a commemorative bulb planting. We would be very happy to welcome you to join in this activity which will offer an opportunity to return in the springtime to see your bulb in bloom (bulbs supplied by Botanic Gardens).

This event is open to the public, so please feel free to share this link with your networks, friends and family. The event is for anyone who might want to set aside some time to remember absent friends in a welcoming environment.

Photo credit: Dundee Botanic Garden