Remembering Together: A Season of Memory, Care and Solidarity
Sponsored by the International Women’s Day Society
Long before clocks and time zones, people read the year in the changing light. The equinoxes and solstices marked its great turns, with cross-quarter days halfway between, when communities could gather and put their affairs in order.
Samhain is one of those thresholds. As the days shorten toward winter solstice, there is room to pause with those we have lost: to speak their names, share a story and sit beside someone who remembers. Following the thread of our 2019 gatherings, this Season of Remembrance brings together memorials across Vancouver Island.
November 1–December 21, 2026 · These dates mark annual observances. Local links appear by town or city as organizers confirm them. Cards without listings await announcements; gathering dates may differ from the annual marker. Blue Christmas is shown on December 21 as a seasonal marker.
General military remembrance listings cover broader urban communities of at least 30,000 people. Gatherings focused on women, Indigenous people or 2SLGBTQ+ communities are welcome from every town, whatever its size.
Annual remembrances
Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos
Remember loved ones through the Mexican traditions of Día de Muertos, observed November 1–2.
Kristallnacht Commemoration
November 9 marks the start of the 1938 pogroms, which continued overnight into November 10.
Remembrance Day
Pause for those who served and died in war, military conflict and peacekeeping.
Island gatherings
Duncan — Remembrance Day ceremony — November 11, 10:50 a.m.
Esquimalt — Remembrance Day cemetery tour — November 8
Metchosin — Community Remembrance Day ceremony — November 11, 11–11:30 a.m.
Nanaimo — Bastion remembrance lighting — November 5–11
Métis beaded-poppy workshop honouring Indigenous veterans — November 7, 12:30–3:30 p.m.
Oak Bay — An Afternoon of Remembrance — November 10, noon–12:45 p.m.
Remembrance Day ceremony — November 11, 10:55 a.m.–noon
Saanich — Remembrance Day ceremony — November 11, 10:45–11:45 a.m.
Sooke — We Remember — November 7
Victoria — Music of Remembrance carillon recital — November 11, about 12:15 p.m.
Victoria Children’s Choir remembrance performance — November 11, 12:30–12:45 p.m.
National Grief and Bereavement Day
Make room for grief and connection with people living with bereavement. Canada’s observance falls on the third Tuesday of November.
Children’s Grief Awareness Day
Recognize the needs of children and young people after someone important to them dies. Observed on the third Thursday of November.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Honour transgender people whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence.
Island gatherings
Nanaimo — Trans Day of Remembrance vigil — November 20; doors 5:30 p.m., service 6 p.m.
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day
Offer connection and understanding to people bereaved by suicide. The annual date is the Saturday before US Thanksgiving.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Remember those killed through gender-based violence and stand with survivors.
Holodomor Memorial Day
Commemorate the victims of the Ukrainian famine and genocide of 1932–1933. Canada’s annual marker is the fourth Saturday of November.
Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare
Pay tribute to people killed or harmed by chemical weapons and affirm the work to prevent their use.
World AIDS Day
Remember people lost to AIDS and support communities living with HIV.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Honour the fourteen women murdered at Montréal’s École Polytechnique in 1989 and everyone affected by gender-based violence.
Genocide Victims Commemoration Day
Honour victims of genocide and affirm their dignity through remembrance and prevention.
Worldwide Candle Lighting
Join a worldwide remembrance of children, siblings and grandchildren who have died. The Compassionate Friends observance is the second Sunday of December.
Red Umbrella Day — End Violence Against Sex Workers
Remember sex workers killed by violence and support the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day
Remember people who died while experiencing homelessness, traditionally marked on the longest night of the year.
Blue Christmas / Longest Night
A seasonal marker for grief during the holidays. Local services may take place on another date.
Marigold illustration: Comecoquito, CC0. Holodomor symbol: Alex Tora, public domain. Other remembrance images are drawn from our archive.
Memorials calendar
Choose a date to read its entry. The annual rules follow the observance when its weekday changes.
November 2026 |
||||||
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
||||||
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
|
30
|
||||||