Walk and talk on afterlife beliefs

THE burial traditions of various religions and beliefs will be at the forefront of a collaboration tomorrow between Ballarat Cemeteries and members of the Ballarat Interfaith Network.

This Saturday 18 November, from 11am to 1pm, people are invited to explore the grounds of the Ballarat New Cemetery as part of an interfaith cemetery walk.

The event marks the first of its kind for Ballarat Interfaith Network, whose president Elham Jamali said it will focus the organisation’s exploration of spiritual and religious connectiveness towards how we treat our dead.

“The aim of our network is to build bridges of understanding for all faiths to demonstrate we’re all connected,” she said.

“This event is to promote the understanding of various burial ceremonies and afterlife beliefs of different faiths.”

Short presentations on the burial traditions and customs of Bahá’í, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, and Thai Buddhist faiths will be held in the Sovereign Chapel.

Following the talks, attendees will walk through the Islamic, Greek Orthodox, and Aboriginal sections of the cemetery grounds, with an optional post-event tour available via pre-booking for the Chinese area.

Once the event is finished, afternoon tea will be served while an information display on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will feature at the back of the chapel.

Ms Jamali said the event is about showcasing the universality of the human experience.

“It’s another opportunity for people to get to know about other religious beliefs and to get an understanding that in the end, we all end up in the cemetery,” she said.

“No matter what religion, class, category of person, we all end up there. It’s interesting to know how different people view that end of life practice.

“It’s a good way for people to reflect on their life and to see that although there may be some small differences in how people perform their burial ceremonies, there’s a lot of similarities involved.”

Contact Ms Jamali at [email protected] or Ballarat Cemeteries on 5332 1469 for more information while a tour of the cemetery’s Chinese section can be booked via [email protected].