The world commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster

April 15, 2012 19:01

On April 15, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic took place worldwide, with the participation of descendants of the victims of the most horrific shipwreck in the history of world maritime.


Events commemorating the disaster will take place inHalifax, the port city ofCanada, where the ships left to collect the bodies of Titanic victims and where 150 of the 1,514 victims are buried. However, the commemoration is not limited to Halifax, but has become a global event, with artists, scientists and museums in the UK, Canada, Northern Ireland and the US having spent months preparing for the anniversary.




Memorial service for Titanic victims in Belfast, where the ship was built (Source: Reuters)


A century after the Titanic hit an iceberg, more than 1,700 passengers aboard the MS Balmoral from Southampton and the Azamara Journey from New York City will meet at the site of the Titanic’s sinking to witness a reenactment of the disaster. The captains of the ships will announce the collision with the iceberg and a distress signal will be sounded. Passengers will then throw flowers into the sea at 2:20 a.m., the time the ship sank.


Titanic was built inBelfast, the North capitalIreland, and sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage toNew York, when it went down. Some of the people who attended the commemorative events had their own stories about how the Titanic affected their lives. Wendy Burkhart, ofBritish Columbia, said that her ancestors had narrowly escaped the Titanic. "My great-grandfathers, my grandmother and her sisters all booked passage on the Titanic," she said. "Their destination wasCanada, where they wanted a fresh start. But then the family quarreled and they all decided to leave in the fall instead of the spring." Thanks to this decision, they all escaped.

Buckhart also said that the 1977 James Cameron film Titanic was the impetus for her marriage to her high school sweetheart Jerry Evans, because of his resemblance to the film's star Leonardo DiCaprio.


Titanic 100 Society CEO Ken Pinto told the Chronicle Herald that the commemorative events would reinforce Halifax and Canada's place in the Titanic's tragic history. "Our idea is not to have a carnival-like event, but to do something to remember the disaster," he said.


Later Saturday, memorial attendees plan to gather at the Museum of the Atlantic inHalifax, before marching downtown. Marchers carried candles and followed a horse-drawn carriage carrying the coffin, stopping periodically at several Titanic memorials.


The march will stop at City Hall to witness Titanic commemorative performances, by more than 20 local artists and a military band.Canadaperformance. The orchestra will also play some reimagined pieces of music played by the Titanic orchestra a decade ago.


After midnight, at 12:27,Halifaxwill observe a minute of silence to commemorate the last telegram sent by Titanic.Nova Scotia. Then the bells will ring from four large churches, where memorial services for the unfortunate people took place in 1912./


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