IT IS an intriguing title for an exhibition and one that reflects the reality of family life.
Cradle To The Grave is a series of events began last weekend at Bagshaw Museum, in Wilton Park, Batley.
There are free workshops, drop-in sessions, talks and walks looking at the life of families in Batley through the ages.
There will be Saturday sessions on different themes each month through to August.
All sessions are free although booking will be required for some, due to limited numbers.
The programme begins on May 22 with a talk about the traditions and rituals surrounding birth in different cultures, from the Irish tradition of wetting the baby’s head to the special rice pudding dish eaten by Muslim families to celebrate the safe arrival of the child.
Next month, on June 5, the museum will host Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Here, the fashions of a traditional white wedding and the colour of a modern South Asian wedding are compared using some Batley wedding dresses from the Kirklees Museums' collection.
There’s a talk on June 19 about the way in which mourning has been signalled in society including the way in which people dressed and the stationery, symbolism and funeral rituals that they used.
Later in the summer there will be family history sessions to help those who want to track their ancestors but don’t know where to start or are struggling to find that elusive connection.
In August, there will be guidance on how to get your family tree to “spill the beans”.
The museum says the session on August 14 (2pm-3pm) is for anyone who has ever wondered what skeletons are in their cupboards but didn’t know how to ask. Booking essential.
Stay on for another hour on the same day and experts will guide people on how to protect old family papers, photographs and costumes.
There will be advice and demonstrations from the experts.
For details contact the museum on 01924 326155.
