Abstract · In 2022 the number of coronavirus victims in Hungary has risen to over 40 000. The number of people mourning the dead is estimated at several hundred thousand. However, no official expression of condolence has been made in Hungary until today to validate their grief. This unfair situation was one of the motivations behind the initiative launched in 2021, just one year ago, to commemorate the victims of the coronavirus epidemic. It coincides with the commemorations and memorials that have been launched internationally in various countries, also as civil and civic initiatives. I will examine the Hungarian process in the context of grief processing and development of community solidarity. The collective narrative and identity-building impact on the bereaved and wider community is analysed through the forms of community action and participation.