A lively place for conversations about death, grief, and life. Under this motto, the premiere of the “Death Cafe Essen” [1] took place last Saturday at the Unperfekthaus [2] in Essen.

At the premiere on November 5, 2022, five people participated alongside the Holy Grief Art management team. “We are happy that the pilot event was so well received by the participants. Everyone who was there could take something away and would be happy to come back,” says Peter Höing, co-initiator of the Death Cafe Essen and part of the Holy Grief Art management team. “Unfortunately, death and grief are still taboo topics in our society. With the Death Cafe, we want to bring these topics out of the taboo zone and into the heart of society.”

The focus of the exchange at the Death Cafe premiere was on burial and mourning culture in Germany. Participants shared their experiences with norms and values that are often passed on to the mourners from their personal environment. It is also worth taking a look at the burial and mourning cultures in other countries. “Death and grief are not just black, heavy, and gloomy. Even though we are often taught this in our society. Life is colorful. And that applies to mourning as well.” The participants of the Death Cafe agreed: Laughter is allowed at a funeral – as long as it reflects the personality of the deceased.

In addition to questions about the culture of death and mourning, the premiere of the Death Cafe also focused on life and how one can find a different approach to death during one's lifetime. The participants discussed advance directives and living wills.