At 7 o'clock nightly across Metro Vancouver, people step out on their patios, balconies, front steps, and lawns to make a lot of noise. They've been doing it since March, rain or shine, and often in growing numbers, to show support for the frontline workers who are stepping up to take on the COVID-19 crisis.
The cheer is for health care workers, as well as for essential workers, like bus drivers, truckers, first responders, delivery people, and anyone who is not able to stay home like many of us are. But the cheer is in a way also for ourselves and our neighbours; by joining together we are fostering our sense of community, and staying connected like never before during this tough time.
An Instagram account called @sevenoclockportraits chronicles the 7 p.m. cheer in Vancouver through beautiful images capturing individuals and families clapping, banging pots and pans, and taking part in the new city-wide ritual.
Drawing inspiration from writer David Remnick's April 2020 New Yorker piece "New York City in the Coronavirus Pandemic," Seven O'Clock Portraits borrows a quote from the moving article: "We will remember the sound of seven o’clock."
They are re-sharing images tagged on Instgram with #SevenOclockPortraits taken in Vancouver, and also they plan to compile the images into commemorative books to give to area hospitals.
Take a look at some of the images they have shared so far:
