International AIDS Candlelight Memorial

The Red Ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial campaign (also called AIDS Candlelight March, AIDS Candlelight Memorial, AIDS Candlelight Vigil), organized by the Global Health Council, is the largest and oldest grassroots HIV/AIDS campaign. The 12-month awareness campaign encourages communities and individuals around the world to become involved in HIV/AIDS work by participating in an annual worldwide memorial. The Candlelight Memorial occurs on the third Sunday of every May and is led by volunteer coordinators who host memorials for their communities worldwide. Started in 1983, the memorial is meant to honor all those who have been affected by the AIDS pandemic.

In 2006, over 900 Candlelight coordinators planned memorials in 110 countries, reaching tens of thousands of people. The Global Health Council works with international partners to recruit and counsel community Candlelight coordinators. The Candlelight began in 1983 in the United States, at a time when little was known about HIV. Today, an estimated 25 million people have died as a result of AIDS and 40 million are currently estimated to be infected with the disease.

History of the event

The first International AIDS Candlelight Memorial was held simultaneously in New York City and San Francisco in 1983, when the cause of AIDS was unknown and no more than a few thousand AIDS deaths had been recorded. The organizers wished to honor the memory of those lost to this mysterious disease and to demonstrate support for those living with AIDS. That remains the focus of the event today.

Since beginning of the pandemic AIDS has claimed more than 28 million lives, with over 42 million now living with HIV and AIDS. As AIDS continues to ravage communities around the world, the Candlelight has become a way for communities to take action by publicly mourning loved ones lost to AIDS, and by strengthening local and national commitments to fighting the pandemic. In small communities, it can help to increase awareness, understanding, volunteerism, and fundraising. In large cities, it brings together a diverse spectrum of people who care about HIV/AIDS. In all cases, the event creates a sense of global solidarity, and generates worldwide attention.

Local observances of the Memorial vary from community to community. Each Coordinator has the opportunity to tailor the framwork of the Candlelight Memorial to meet the particular needs of the people they are serving. Events can vary from a few friends gathering at a park or a place of worship to thousands of people marching through town holding candles and singing songs. There is not "right" way to organize a Memorial.

Nature of the event

Each local coordinator has the opportunity to tailor the Candlelight to the particular needs of the local community.

Events can vary from a few friends gathering at a park, or a place of worship to mourn the loss of their loved ones to the mobilization of several hundred people marching through town. Here are a few examples from past years:

• The Malaysian AIDS Foundation launched a 10-day-long event in Kuala Lumpur, including AIDS awareness exhibitions, forums, performances by nationally famous actors, and outreach in the Central Market, a popular youth hang-out, culminating in a rally in Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square.

• In Lansing, Michigan, USA, an AIDS Memorial Grove was dedicated, the Edgewood Sacred Dance Group performed to the African-American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," and participants sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing" while marching to the edge of the Grand River, where they placed their candles on the water.

• In London, England, a coalition of 32 AIDS organizations led several thousand people in an Act of Remembrance in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, followed by a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square.

• In Portland, Oregon, USA, event participants listened to musical groups including folk singers Lynn Anderson and Richard Columbo and the Portland Gay Men's Chorus. Activities in Portland included the reading of proclamations from the Governor and the Mayor, Taiko drumming, the presentation of AIDS Memorial Quilt panels, the tolling of a bell for those who have died, and a Dixieland-jazz funeral procession led by dancers who draped a casket and performed a symbolic dance for hope.

• In Caracas, Venezuela three choruses accompanied a candlelight procession from the Lutheran Church to a public square, where balloons bearing the names of the dead were released. The planning of the event led to the creation of a Network of all HIV/AIDS organizations in the Caracas area.

• "La Caminata Nocturna Silenciosa," the Silent Night Walk, proceeded from El Angel de la Independencia to the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown Mexico City, Mexico. Organizers chose the slogan "With the Voice of Life, Death Silence will be broken." Participating organizations staffed information booths, and the event included theater, dancing, singing and music.

• In Amsterdam, Netherlands, participants gather in a church, where speeches are given, songs are performed, and the names of the dead are read. Participants then march from the church to a nearby square, where white balloons bearing the names of those who have died from the disease are released.

External links

• Global Health Council
• The World AIDS Campaign
• AVERT.org's World AIDS Day page
• WorldAIDSDay.org
• ABC of HIV -PSA on HIV prevention
• AIDSPortal events page
• Engenderhealth and World AIDS Day