On Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. the Oliver Legion will be holding its annual Candlelight Tribute in the Oliver Cemetery in the Veterans Field of Honour.
This is a very impressive and unique ceremony. Candles are lit and placed on the headstones of veterans buried in the Field of Honour and anywhere else in the cemetery.
It is a ceremony which is known as the “Passing of the Torch of Remembrance” from the older generation to the young.
The main event is the gathering of as many youth as possible along with veterans, other Legion members, youth and adults from the community.
An adult and youth will pick up a candle and the youth will deposit it on the headstone of the veteran – this keeps going until all 200-plus candles are deposited.
During the ceremony, there is a Legion Tribute in which a few invited guests may say a few words.
This is a ceremony to honour those who have served and those who returned and have since passed on.
Candlelight tributes originated in Europe to honour all those who served during wartime. In 1995, the citizens of the Netherlands held a special ceremony to commemorate the liberation of their country by Canadian Forces in 1945.
Dutch children place lit candles on the graves to honour the fallen Canadian soldiers. The candles remained lit overnight as a tribute to their sacrifice. Throughout the night people came to view the sight of the red candles glowing through the night. In 1997, Veterans Affairs Canada requested the Royal Canadian Legion to consider hosting these ceremonies on an annual basis. This is approximately the 20th year for the ceremony in Oliver.
The cemetery gates will remain open all night for anyone to drive through and observe the candles glowing on the hillside.
If you have a relative or friend who was a veteran and is buried elsewhere in the cemetery, you may place a candle on their headstone after the fact.
The Oliver Legion lounge will be open prior to and after the event.
