Allerzielen Alom

General layout and decoration

Allerzielen Alom is a special evening for everyone. This is made clear by decorating the memorial site in a different way than normal. The goal is to create a hospitable location where everyone can feel comfortable.


Hospitality and respect play an important role in Allerzielen Alom. Do not force anything but still provide encouragement. How do you do that. Hospitality has aspects of form and performance. How to place tables, how to approach the public, what kind of clothing to wear in order to be recognisable?

Hospitality is more than just serving a warm drink. During a celebration, a diverse public will be present at the memorial site with all sorts of emotions. It is important that everyone feels safe and comfortable. By actively working on hospitality, the guests will be well received, they will feel welcome, and they can find a place for their emotions. A good balance must be found between serving the guests, and taking initiative.


The entrance to a location should be well thought out. You only come in once. A good entrance gives people the opportunity to touch doewn and leave the stress of the day behind them. Guides welcome them and provide an introduction. One becomes immediately acquainted with low-level rituals such as the Carpet of Leaves, Bag Lanterns, or a flower from the Flower Lamp, art forms which are described elsewhere in this section of the website.


Guides are extremely important. They are particularly important at locations where not everything is visible at once. Guides can be made clearly recognisable, for example, with a subtile but larger lamp. They provide information of the route, its length, and what there is along the way. At particular locations, they can explain the meaning of an installation or how it works. The guides understand the art of feeling the needs of others. It can be special to ask people who they commemorated. It has been shown that people are happy to be able to talk about their departed.

In the first year, a backpack construction was developed for the guides, using bamboo with a blanket and a lamp. The guides were visible from a distance by the lights at the top of the poles. They got the nickname “The wandering lights”. In 2007 rice paper balloons were used and the colour code was white. A staff for the guides was developed in 2009, a strong tree branch with a lighted bird made of candle wax, and a white lighted bag with items such as a flashlight, tissues, or candy.


Fire is a living material which strongly determines the atmosphere. Fire can be both life giving as well as life threatening; it provides light, warmth, and energy, but using fire also has its dangers. Fire is an important element within Allerzielen Alom. In many respects, fire cannot be replaced by artificial light. The actual warmth of a fire gives the visitor a feeling of being welcome. Besides well-known forms of fire such as torches, storm lamps and fire baskets, we have also developed many other forms of fire. Since 2009 there are also fire workshops for volunteers to learn to work with fire. Examples of forms of fire which were developed within Allerzielen Alom include: oil lamps made from sawed-off cola bottles; fire pots made from oil cans where holes have been cut out to form figures; concrete fire bowls built into a depression in the ground; brick ovens for baking warm soulbread; grave candles which can float on bamboo sticks; stoves made from garbage cans for warming up soup; fire shops selling or renting light and fire articles such as candles, fire baskets, wood and lamp oil.

Artist: Fiona de Bell, Natasja van Eijk, Lenneke van der Goot, Anja Janssen, Reinier Kurpershoek, Carina de Wit.

Fire shopvuurwinkel-resized-wm

It is a good idea to place a fire shop or stall near the entrance, where visitors can by grave candles, torches, fire gel, lamp oil, matches, lighters, tea light candles and wood. This is the custom in Southern European countries and Mexico. Thai Sky Lanterns* are a very special way of remembering loved ones. These are large paper lamps with ascend through warmth, and can be lit with a small flame mechanism. When there is little wind, they can be released in memory of a departed loved one.

Fire baskets, party tents, and eventually, folding chairs can be provided for free or rented so that next of kin can comfortably furnish the area around a grave.

* In The Netherlands, official permission is now required to release such lanterns.

Forms for firevuurvlotten-resized-wm

Torches and storm lamps are used to mark trails. Floats of fire can be released on open water. Special locations can be marked with fires built in oil drums. Smaller cans with flame are also good beacons.

Extinguishing materials

Prevention is better than extinguishing. Wherever fire is, there must be extinguishing materials. Fire extinguishers, buckets of water for wood fires, buckets of sand for oil fires, as well as blankets should be set out along the trail. A plan should be developed with the local fire department.


Fire is a fragile medium in bad weather and must therefore be supported by light. However, light is something that must be done by professional light designers, who can read a terrain and can make use of the elements found there. It is important that the designer knows and understands the concepts of Allerzielen Alom, for example, thinking about darkness while providing minimal light for a path, recognising fire as a source of light.  Werken in coulissen is mooi; toneelmatig, maar ook sprookjesachtig.Light design: Ronald Tebra from iMagineAir, Reint Baarda.

Lighting design_mg_1746-resized-wm

Lighting design with theatre lamps, done in a discrete manner, is necessary to provide locations with a special ambiance. It emphasizes the landscape and spatial qualities. It provides a foundation for the location, a fairy tale like sense of security. Such lamps can also be used to support particular installations. Do not forget to place noisy generators at a sufficient distance from the route.

Small lighting elements_mg_2500-wm

During Allerzielen Alom transparent plastic balls containing small electric lamps were layed along the route. They illuminated the way in a subtile manner. LED lights on poles were used to mark a long, dark path to the Ever After in Castricum. The miniscule points of light made the experience of darkness even stronger.

Bag lanterns_mg_2245-resize-wm

At the entrance, visitors receive a white paper bag with a small lamp. They are then visible in the dark without blinding others. The collection of bags which have not yet been passed out makes a striking picture.

Licht projection

Specially designed light projections provide a new way of looking at buildings or objects. The outer wall of the hall in Zorgvlied turned into a slowly moving universe, the office transformed into a painting, and the cross in the cemetery in Purmerend received a projection of a flower. Historic films were shown on gravestones and through windows.


Music touches people’s souls. When combined with performance, music sometimes takes on an almost mythical character. Mark Nieuwenhuis stood in an unstable boat the whole evening playing his trompet, thus presenting an image of the ferryman on the river Styx. Certain instruments were specifically developed, such as the spherical copper grave vases which are often found in older cemeteries. They produce a wonderful sound. Singing can support a given performance, or provide an unexpected sonority. Next-of-kin can hire a singer for a given amount of time for the grave. Name Singing is a ritual which cannot be missed in an Allerzielen Alom celebrations.(photograph: Max Linsen).


Miso soup steamed in nine large woks. Everyone who takes a cup of soup gets a handful of soup vegetables which he or she can toss in the pan for new soup. This refers to the idea that the departed have left something for the others.

Artists: Miguel Brugman, Fiona de Bel, Reinier Kurpershoek

Glühwein, hot chocolate, soul breadale061a-wm

An evening full of impressions and emotions cannot just end. A place to gather is suddenly desirable. For example, a self-made oven to bake soul bread. Sitting on bales of straw by the fire over which large pans with hot chocolate and Glühwein are hanging, in order to warm up, chat with each other, or just stare in the fire.

Artists: Fiona de Bel, Lenneke van der Goot, Reinier Kurpershoek.