Natchez Trace Candle light Vigil

Natchez Trace Funeral Home hosted its 28th annual candle light vigil on Saturday April 7, 2012. This vigil is given for family and friends in honor of their loved ones who have passed and been buried in the cemetery. Natchez Trace provides this event every Saturday night before Easter Sunday.

  The funeral home puts out white bags with an unlit candle placed in the inside in front of every headstone. Family and friends meet at dark around their loved ones graves and lite a candle in remembrance of them. This year’s vigil started a new tradition. The funeral home provided l.e.d lite balloons and a blank note available for the family and friends to write personal notes on.  The idea of the releasing of the balloons is to represent the passed away ascending to heaven.

Natchez Trace had a short opening ceremony that began at 6:30. The ceremony provided a list of the loved ones that are being remembered based on the friends and families who are participating. Also a short sermon was preached, prayer was said, and musical entertainment was provided. At the end of the lighting, the funeral had refreshments available provided by families that owned local restaurants who had loved ones buried in the cemetery.

            “Seeing the candles lite by families around the cemetery was such an inspirational moment for my family and me,” said Lynn Wilbanks, a mom whose son recently passed away. She goes on to say, “This was our first year to attend the vigil and it brought great comfort to me. I will be attending this for years to come.”

Natchez Trace puts this event on every year. They welcome any friends and families whose loved ones are buried in the cemetery. They encourage everyone to attend.