All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is celebrated in the Catholic Church on November 1.Its roots are associated with the cult of martyrs, including the nameless ones, and dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. Originally, the holiday fell in the spring of May 13, but later the celebrations were moved to November 1. All Saints’ Day is also associated with All Souls’ Day, or the Day of the Dead, observed in the Roman Catholic Church on November 2. Both All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are associated with reflection and visiting the graves of relatives.
The celebration of the holidays may differ from country to country. For example, in France, on November 1, La Toussaint is celebrated. On the graves of relatives, wreaths and tablets with a dedication to the deceased are left, and candles are also lit. In Poland, cemeteries are decorated with flowers and candles, it is also a tradition to decorate abandoned graves or monuments commemorating soldiers who died during battles. All Saints’ Day celebrations in Spain take a more colorful and cheerful shape. El Día de Todos los Santos is a time of fiesta and processions. The symbol of the holiday are also delicacies, including the so-called saint’s bones, i.e. marzipan tubes with filling.
In the Orthodox Church, the memory of the deceased is honored several times a year, for example during prayers during the so-called Parent’s Saturday. November 1 is not the day of the All Saints ‘Day celebrations, although some families visit their relatives’ graves. The main celebrations and commemoration of the dead fall on the Easter season, more specifically on the second Tuesday after Easter. Radonitsa, because this is the name of this holiday, is a time of joy, and the tradition of this day is to visit the graves of loved ones and greet them with the words “Christ is Risen”. Many people bring a meal with them to the cemetery, including festive dishes and treats – some of them are left for the deceased, others are eaten there.
Trick or treat, or Halloween
One of the most popular traditions related to the Day of the Dead is Halloween. Although we associate it mainly with the United States, you should remember that it has European origins. Halloween traces its roots to the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in the night from October 31 to November 1. It was then when the spirits of the dead were to visit the world of the living. Fires were lit, people wore masks to scare evil spirits away and prepared refreshments for the good ones. The word Halloween itself comes from the term All Hallows’ Eve.
The holiday appeared in the United States with the influx of Irish immigrants in the 19th century. It is celebrated not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. These days, Halloween cuts itself off from its religious roots as an opportunity for great fun. The main symbol of Halloween is the pumpkin, especially a carved one, with a lantern inside. The tradition at that time was to decorate houses and streets with fake spider webs, flowers, pumpkins or, for example, zombie, skeleton and ghost props. Many dress-up parties take place that night, and children (as well as adults) visit neighboring houses, greeting each other with the iconic slogan: “Trick or treat!”.
Dia de los Muertos
The Mexican Dia de los Muertos is perhaps the most colorful and fun way to commemorate the dead. In this culture, death is considered a life companion. The celebration of the holiday combines Catholic traditions with old pre-Columbian beliefs. Preparations for the All Saints’ Day begin a few weeks before with cleaning houses and preparing decorations. Dia de los Muertos lasts from the last days of October, but November 1st and 2nd are the highlight of the celebration. At that time, altars commemorating the dead were created in the houses. Flowers (mainly marigolds), incense, favorite dishes of the deceased, their photos or personal belongings are put on the tables.
The symbols of the holiday are, among others, colorful skulls, figurines of Catrina (woman / skeleton, personification of death) or the bread of the dead. Families commemorate their relatives at home and in cemeteries by organizing joyful feasts featuring dances and music in the background. According to beliefs, on November 1, the world of the living is visited by the souls of children, and a day later by the souls of adults. The celebration of Dia de los Muertos has become so popular that every year on these days tourists from all over the world visit Mexico to see for themselves how the remembrance of the dead can take on a sumptuous and cheerful character.
O-bon
Now something about the Japanese Day of the Dead, or O-bon. Contrary to the previously mentioned customs and holidays, O-bon is in mid-July or August, depending on the region. The celebration lasts about 3 days and during this time the spirits of the deceased visit their relatives. To help them find their way home, welcome fires (mukaebi) are lit. The O-bon tradition is over 500 years old. Although it is not a bank holiday, many people choose to take a day off to return to their family homes and to commemorate their deceased loved ones together. Altars are created, gifts are prepared for the souls of the dead. There are street festivals in some places, and traditional kimono dances (Bon-Odori) are also held. When the celebrations come to an end, farewell fires are lit, which lead the souls of the dead away. The direction of the road is also indicated by floating boats with lanterns.
Chinese Ghost Festival
The Feast of the Ghosts, or the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts, falls on the 15th day of the seventh month, which is called the Month of the Spirits. It is then that the souls of the dead are to pass through the gates of the afterlife and visit their loved ones. The journey takes 30 days. To celebrate the Ghost Festival, special altars are created, and meals are also prepared for the deceased, which are placed in front of the house. Usually these are foods and drinks with intense scent to attract the souls of the dead. One of the traditions of the holiday is burning fake money or everyday objects. During the opera performances taking place at that time, the first row of seats in the audience remains empty – these are places for the dead. Light is the symbol of the Spirit Festival, which is why at this time reed boats with lanterns are released onto the waters of rivers and lakes, which are to show the way to the lost souls.
As you can see, All Souls’ Day takes many forms. Many traditions are disappearing to give way to popular customs, while others are passed down from generation to generation, and there is no indication that they will be forgotten.