Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
A solemn tradition, a small, flickering flame, a way to honor and remember, expressing love and reverence for those who have departed.
Honor grief and remembrance through community-centered campaigns that position brands as compassionate partners in bereavement support and memorial observance.
- Partner with bereavement nonprofits to amplify memorial events and support services
- Create respectful content celebrating the lives and legacies of children remembered on this day
- Offer candles, memorial products, or donation matching tied to local candle lighting ceremonies
- Feature stories from The Compassionate Friend and bereaved families to build trust and emotional connection
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day was a gift to the bereavement community from The Compassionate Friend. The Compassionate Friend’s Worldwide Candle Lighting Day started in the United States in 1997 as a small internet observance in honor of children who lived tragically short lives for any number of reasons, from sickness to accidents, to war, but has since spread throughout the world.
Nowadays, hundreds of formal candle lighting events are held in many different countries and thousands of informal candle lightings are conducted in homes as families gather in quiet remembrance of children who have died, but will never be forgotten.
Many organizations join in to observe this holiday, some of which are local bereavement groups, churches, funeral homes, hospitals, hospices, children’s gardens, schools, cemeteries, and community centers, and remembrance services have ranged in size from just a few people to nearly a thousand over the years since the creation of this special day. All of this just goes to show how necessary it was to set this day aside for this purpose.