This year will be the last year that Zenith Virago will host the Day of the Dead ceremony at The fig trees, Heritage Park, Mullumbimby, on Sunday, 25 October from 3pm to 5pm, as she prepares to pass the ceremony on to Kirsty Laing.
‘Twenty years ago I realised there was a need for a community ceremony to honour our dead every year ongoingly, not just once in the rawness of a funeral,’ said Zenith, who also founded the Natural Death Care Centre.
‘Creating positive social and cultural change, it has been a wonderful way to introduce children to death and bereavement in a gentle and positive way. We have led the way and seeded these community ceremonies throughout Australia.
‘Ceremony is one of the most powerful ways we can show our care and love when someone dies, and the way we can tend to our own grief. It is open to any religion, spirituality, belief, or culture. Thousands have come with photos, mementos, even ashes,’ Zentih explained.
‘It has been a joy to offer this much-needed ceremony to our community. I know Kirsty will evolve the ceremony as she steps into the future.’
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