Faith
A central part of many homes, faith can provide order and comfort. It can give our time at home a sense of purpose or can simply be an ordinary part of everyday life.
For many, home is a place to pray, a place where family and friends gather to celebrate festivals and life events, and a place to express religious identity.
How do you practise or display your faith in your home?
Photograph by Em Fitzgerald
Photograph by Em Fitzgerald
Stories to look out for
Object number 0147
Sampler, Ann Fifield April, about 1830
During the 1800s, samplers were mostly made by girls, between the ages of 7 and 14. They were a way to practise their needlework skill, but also a way for children to demonstrate their Christian faith, this was often expressed through religious verses and imagery.
Object number 4150
Perfume bottle, 2016
Saira uses perfume as part of her daily prayer routine at home in Waltham Forest, east London.
This perfume was bought for her as a gift by a family member on a trip to Pakistan.
The box is shaped like the Kaaba, the sacred site in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, toward which Muslims pray. Objects brought back from hajj (pilgrimage) connect Saira and her family to a wider religious community (ummah).
Saira keeps a collection of perfume bottles on display in her front room, where she prays throughout the week and keeps her prayer mats (jānamāz).
Emma
Emma, who is Jewish Orthodox, keeps a kosher kitchen and celebrates Shabbat each week at her home in north London.
'It's really nice to have people in your home, eating your food, all together celebrating… Because of the way we observe Shabbat, all the cooking and cleaning has to be done before sunset on Friday, so you know, by Wednesday, Thursday, I'm already planning and thinking what I need to cook and when.'
The way Emma cooks and prepares her food is carefully organised, including washing-up brushes and chopping boards in different colours.