To respect, honour, and provide information on the diverse funeral customs, rituals, and considerations relevant to the multicultural communities served by Chapel Ridge in Markham and Richmond Hill.
Burial has been a practice for centuries. It's the final step in a funeral - putting our loved ones in their final resting place. While burials have kept some rituals from the past, there are some oddities. Today is Halloween - a day where we see images of spooky cemeteries,…
Victoria Day is a Canadian holiday celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday, which was May 24, 1819. And while the holiday celebrates the life of our second longest reigning monarch (Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her), one of the most often told stories about Queen Victoria is about how she mourned her beloved…
Last Halloween, we talked about the Mexican tradition, Day of the Dead. This year we will look at the Celtic origin of the holiday and how this pagan tradition honoured the dead. Precursor to Halloween: Samhain & All Saints Day The Pagan festival of Samhain took place between October 31…
While death is very sad, and losing a loved one can be incredibly difficult and heartbreaking, many of us are still fascinated by historical or famous cemeteries. There's just something about seeing the final resting spot of historical figures and celebrities that intrigues us. For some, it's a stop on…
If you lost someone close to you this year - be it a friend, family member, colleague, or classmate - you are probably entering 2018 with a very different mind set. New Year's Resolutions might seem silly or trivial, and life feels unpredictable. While it may not work for everyone,…
As we wrote in our previous post, losing a loved one is never easy - and the holiday season can amplify those emotions. While skipping the month of December might sound tempting, avoidance is not that answer. There things you can do to make it easier. Accept one invitation While…
While we see our neighbours and friends getting ready for Halloween with spooky ghosts and pumpkins on their porches, we forget the origins of this now mostly secular holiday. While today we celebrate October 31st by dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, attending parties, carving pumpkins, and watching scary movies, but…
As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of the many things we are thankful for this year. Many of us will share a splendid feast with loved ones this coming weekend - where we will laugh, share stories, and recall fond memories. For those who lost a loved one this past…
