Death Cafes gaining widespread popularity

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Oct 22, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Bernard Crettaz, credited with organizing the Death Cafes concept. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Death Cafes becoming mainstream

Death Cafes are increasingly becoming popular worldwide.

What exactly is a Death Cafe?

It’s a gathering of people who come together to drink tea, eat muffins and cake and discuss death.

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For some people, speaking about death can be a taboo subject and it is rarely, if ever discussed.

For those that are interested in discussing the subject, their options have been limited . . . until now.

For those that do have an interest in death and and want to talk it with other like-minded people, Death Cafes serve a very valuable purpose where death can be discussed openly and comfortably, without fear of being mocked for bringing up the subject.

Bernard Crettaz, a Swiss sociologist and anthropologist, read about a Death Cafe that took place in Paris in 2010 and decided that he wanted to offer the Death Cafes.

The “social franchise” concept has grown globally, with an organized Death Cafe website, and “pop-up” meetings taking place worldwide.

Some of the meetings even take place in churches!

On the Death Cafe website, they make it very clear that they have “no intention of leading participants towards any particular conclusion, product or course of action”.

Lizzy Miles holds the distinction of being the first person to use the model and to run a Death Cafe in the US in April 2012 .

The concept has become so popular that there have been dedicated Death Cafes for lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people with plans in the works for Death Cafes to further expand their reach.

They want to target other groups particularly older and younger people, ex-offenders and people with substance misuse problems.

Death cafes have become so popular that there is now a Death Cafe Facebook page and Death Cafe Twitter profile.