Celebration Day

Over a century ago, on 16 September 1915, the first Women’s Institute meeting was arranged by Madge Watt and held in Anglesey, North Wales. Since then, today has been celebrated as #WIDay! The @womensinstitute legacy is remarkable – what started as an opportunity to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in food production has become the largest voluntary women’s organisation in the country! Today, they campaign extensively for issues like ending violence against women, climate justice, raising awareness of autism and ADHD in women and improving the diagnosis process. How are you celebrating Women’s Institute Day?: Let us know in the comments below! #Women #Gender #Celebration #CelebrationDay #Legacy #Remembrance #Celebrate #CelebrateLife #Memories #NorthWales

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of the longest-reigning monarch in Britain to date, Queen Elizabeth II. From 6th February 1952, she led the state with grace, compassion, and kindness. While we grieve her, her memory and legacy will be honoured for the rest of time. And as Queen Elizabeth II herself once said, "grief is the price we pay for love." #CelebrationDay #Celebrate #Celebration #Grief #Loss #Bereavement #QueenElizabethII #RIP #Monarchy

#CelebrationDay was created in reaction to the UK not having a dedicated day to celebrate loved ones who died, like other cultures. One such day includes #GaiJatra, a Nepalese festival commemorating the death of loved ones which is being celebrated today! ‘Gai’ means cow, because in Nepal, cows are worshipped as the goddess Laxmi, who brings wealth and good fortune. On Gai Jatra, the Nepalese believe that the cow guides departed souls to heaven. To celebrate this safe departure, on this day, people send children in cow masks to parade in the streets, they dress up, play music and dance. Additionally, the LGBTQIA+ community often hold a Nepali gay parade in various cities as they celebrate this day with utmost joy. Although the festival allows people to take comfort in knowing their loved ones are sage, it’s also an opportunity to remember their lost loved ones and share their sorrow with one another. Did you know about Gai Jatra, and if not, what do you think is the most important part of it? Let us know in the comments below. (Photography credits to Kate Welton, Sandhya Sahi, and kanigma). #Celebrate #Celebration #LossOfALovedOne #Grief #Bereavement #Loss #Death #Festival #Nepal #Hinduism #Hindus #Cows #LGBT #LGBTQIA+ #Pride

Have you watched Wham! on @netflix yet, a heart-warming documentary on the dynamic duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley? If not – go watch it today! While documentaries about celebrities often focus on the scandalous saga, Wham! is an ode to the friendship and relationship between these two men, using narration from Michael and Ridgley and archive footage of their careers to provide an authentic outlook on their lives. The documentary feels more like a collective memory experience, a chance for us to reflect and remember the lasting legacy these two exceptional musicians have gifted the cultural landscape and all of us today. What’s your favourite song from these two musicians? Let us know in the comments below! #GeorgeMichael #AndrewRidgeley #Netflix #Film #Music #Legacy #Documentary #CelebrationDay #Celebrate #Celebration #Loss

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure." Sharing memories of loved ones who died can feel comforting; an opportunity to ensure their life is remembered not only by us but by people who never met or knew them. That’s why we encourage people to submit their own stories and memories on our website, and then we can reshare them here for all of us to read and learn a little more about their legacy. To submit your story, just head to our website: celebrationday.com/howtocelebrate… #CelebrationDay #Celebrate #Celebration #LossOfALovedOne #Grief #Memories #Death #Loss #Bereavement

We were thrilled to see all of the fantastic submissions for #CelebrationDayPortraits this year, so we decided to share a selection of the incredible art people across the country created. Whether it was photography, painting, or any other medium, seeing people use art as a way to celebrate their loved ones is heartwarming. Did you create a portrait of someone you loved or admired this #CelebrationDay? Let us know in the comments below. #Celebration #Celebrate #Loss #Love #Bereavement #Grief #Art #ArtistsOfInstagram #Artist #Painting #Photography #Portraits #LossOfALovedOne

On #CelebrationDay people shared with us some absolutely stirring stories of how they celebrated the lives of loved ones they have lost. Whose life did you celebrate? 🧡 #Celebrate #Celebration #Grief #Loss #Bereavement #Remembrance #RememberWhen #LossOfALovedOne

Here are some stories of how people took part in #CelebrationDay this year. How did you honour lost loved ones? Let us know in the comments below.

Here's Isabella, winner of the 11 - 13 category in our School Writing Competition with @thedaytweets! She wrote about #RosaParks & the courage it took her to refuse to give a white passenger her bus seat. Congrats on your win Isabella & for sharing Rosa's inspiring story with us!

@mrbenengland @CelebrationDay_ @patrickhawes @officialAJBrown @XanderArmstrong @thelaurawright @LauraPeribanez @pwhitfield @homechoir @ChoirOfTheEarth Fabulous Project ~ Hopefully as time goes on it will become a more widely celebrated & re known Day 💞

@urban_sk @carolinenewson Very well said, every loss is indeed a loss that should be acknowledged. We all stand together in remembering our lost loved ones. 🧡

@carolinenewson I don’t know you but that should not matter as every such loss is a loss that should be acknowledged by society. I am minded about ‘Celebration Day’ which in the UK was 28 May. A moving thought.

@carolinenewson Keeping the lovely Flossie in our thoughts, and sending you our love 🧡

In our short animated film 'Sol', a young boy travels far and wide to return light to his world, and is reminded of the warm and cherished memories he made with his beloved Nonee. #rememberthelight #celebrationday #sol #shortfilm #music #musicvideo #loss

A really lovely film for all who are thinking of their lost loved ones 🧡 #CelebrationDay

This is so heart-warming 🧡

Didn’t realise today was Celebration Day. A day to remember those no longer with us. I’m new to the awful journey that is #grief. Proud @socfinuk has been opening up conversations at work too and today this article helped amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/… @AnthonySeldon

Thank you for supporting #CelebrationDay🧡

#CelebrationDay thank you ⁦@AnthonySeldon⁩ for the reminder ❤️ theguardian.com/commentisfree/…