Sunday Times 2
Gathered in remembrance of departed loved ones
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Once again, on Nov 2, All Souls’ Day, A F Raymond welcomes the gathering in cemeteries to remember the beloved departed in solemn reflection. The commemoration ceremonies will be held at the General Cemetery Borella and burial grounds in the greater Colombo area.
The world over, altars are festooned with flowers and candles for requiem masses and graves visited to place candles and flowers while reflecting on cherished memories.
How this communal tribute in cemeteries began in Sri Lanka is little known. In the mid 70s, Chairman of A F Raymond during that time Aubrey Raymond, noticed the graves in the General Cemetery Kanatte looked neglected. The graves and the immediate surrounds were unkempt, overgrown with weeds and several tombstones shrouded with undergrowth. This, he noted, was due to overseas migration: the Burghers in the 1950s, and Sinhalese and Tamils in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The ritual of visiting graves had become a thing of the past. He wanted to create a way of drawing people of all communities and religions back to cemeteries.
Aubrey Raymond
Aubrey Raymond decided to concentrate on an area he was interested in, overlooked by the church. He asked for permission to use the church from Rev Frs John Herat and Bertram Dabrera, then Parish and Assistant Parish Priest of All Saints Church, Borella. They conceded. On All Souls’ Day he piped music through the cemetery. His playlist was a combination of calming secular music and hymns, from Danny Boy, Silver Threads Amongst the Gold, Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art. The soothing music through the whispering of ancient trees and silent tombstones enticed people in. Some just sat listening, the whole day through. The idea originated in Kanatte and proceeded to spread to include Jawatte, Mt Lavinia and Madampitiya burial grounds.
With news of the event spreading through word of mouth, the crowd grew year on year. People of all denominations gathered at grave sites de-weeding, cleaning and adorning them with flowers and candles. With the increase in numbers the arrangements too became grander. The chapel was bedecked florally and brightened by candles, with emphasis on the popular evening service. The repertoire of the music widened including a recording of the leading tenor of that time Rev Fr Caver Perera, accompanied by musicians and choristers. Then followed a year when the entire chapel was draped in unending rolls of black cloth to resemble the empty tomb of Christ.
The attendance at the cemeteries has grown. It is now an established annual communal gathering. An altar will be constructed this year too. Senior church leaders will officiate the multi-lingual service. Trilingual hymn sheets will be distributed and marquees erected for protection from adverse weather.
This long-standing community project is by A F Raymond Ltd, a company established in 1885. The fragrance of flowers, the glow of candles, and the recollections of loved ones gathered around freshly spruced-up gravesites create a heart-warming scene by dusk.