Death Cafes: The movement is growing in Connecticut

[rug]

January 9, 2017
by Suzanne Rothberg

Death cafés are social events and an evolving trend in the United States and throughout the world. The movement began in Switzerland, developed by sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who was working with people and realized that there was a human need for people to discuss their issues with mortality. In 2015, there were 1500 death cafés in 33 countries. Death cafés are still somewhat unusual because death has always been a subject that people rarely to discuss.

Humanist organizations in Connecticut want to turn that around. They encourage people to socialize in a comfortable environment where people can gather at any diner or café, eat cake and drink a cup of coffee, and have candid, open, frank conversations surrounding death.

Humanist Celebrants Dan Blinn, the president of the Hartford Area Humanists, Anita Peters, a founding member of The Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, and Chris Stedman, Yale Humanist Chaplain in New Haven, organized their first death cafe last fall. They are accredited by the Humanist Society, an organization originally established by a group of Quakers in 1939 as the Humanist Society of Friends by the Society of Friends, that is currently an adjunct of the American Humanist Association.

Peters explained that humanist celebrant officiates at weddings, funerals and other life milestones. She felt that death cafés would become more common and popular in Connecticut as people learn about them and more are scheduled. The group planned to schedule several more in the coming months.

http://www.stratfordstar.com/61838/death-cafes-the-movement-is-growing-in-connecticut/

http://deathcafe.com/

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. I think

they're going to have to come up with a more palatable name than Death Cafe before Americans get enthused.... the Curtains Cafe or somesuch....lol

[rug]

2. The Lethe Latte.

[oldtime dfl_er]

3. hah