All Souls' Day (redirected from Feast of All Souls)

All Souls' Day, Nov. 2 (exceptionally, Nov. 3), feast of the Roman Catholic Church on which the church on earth prays for the souls of the faithful departed still suffering in purgatory. The proper office is of the dead, and the Mass is a requiem. General intercessions for the dead (e.g., for those of a parish, a city, or a regiment) are very ancient (2 Mac. 12.43–45); but the modern feast was probably first established by Abbot Odilo of Cluny (d. 1049) for his community and later extended throughout the church. In Catholic countries there are many customs peculiar to All Souls' Day (e.g., leaving lights in the cemeteries on the night before). These vary from region to region. They should be distinguished from the customs of Halloween, which were apparently an independent development (see All Saints' Day).

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All Souls' Day

In the Roman Catholic church, a day commemorating all the Christians believed to be in purgatory. Celebrated on November 2, it was first established by Odilo (d. 1049), abbot of Cluny, in the 11th century, and it was widely celebrated by the 13th century. The date follows All Saints' Day, with the idea that remembering the saints in heaven should be followed by remembering the souls awaiting release from purgatory. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that the prayers of the faithful on earth will help cleanse these souls in order to prepare them for heaven.

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All Souls' Day

RC Church a day of prayer (Nov. 2) for the dead in purgatory

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All Souls’ Day

holy day of prayer for repose of departed souls. [Christianity: Brewer Dictionary, 1021]

See : Grief

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All Souls' Day

November 2 in the West; second Saturday prior to Lent and the day before Pentecost in the East

People held festivals for the dead long before Christianity. It was St. Odilo, the abbot of Cluny in France, who in the 10th century proposed that the day after All Saints' Day be set aside in honor of the departed—particularly those whose souls were still in purgatory. Today, the souls of all the faithful departed are commemorated. Although All Souls' Day is observed informally by some Protestants, it is primarily a Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox holy day.
In many Catholic countries, people attend churches, which are appropriately draped in black, and visit family graves on this day to honor their ancestors. In Shropshire and Cheshire, England, children still go out "souling" from house to house, although they are no longer given the traditional "soul cakes" that were supposed to rescue souls from purgatory. The evening of November 1 is often called All Souls' Eve and is a time to decorate graveyards and light candles in memory of the dead.
Orthodox Christians commemorate the dead on the second Saturday before Lent begins and on the day before Pentecost.
In Mexico, it is a national holiday called the Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead ). In the United States, Día de los Muertos is celebrated in areas where there is a large Mexican-American population.
In Portugal, November 2 is known as Día dos Finados (All Souls' Day), and the day is observed with special masses and processions to cemeteries. Similar celebrations are held for All Souls' Day in Ecuador, El Salvador, the French West Indies, Macao, and Uruguay.
In Italy Il Giorno dei Morti begins at dawn with a solemn Requiem for the dead. Church bells toll and people decorate the graves of their family members with flowers and candles. But Il Giorno dei Morti is not entirely a somber occasion. In Sicily the children who have prayed for the morti, souls of the departed, leave their shoes outside doors and windows, where they are filled with gifts. In Rome, it is customary for young people to announce their engagements on All Souls' Day. The man sends the engagement ring to his fiancÉe in a small white box, which in turn is packed in an oval container filled with fave dei morti, "beans of the dead"—little bean-shaped cakes made of ground almonds and sugar combined with eggs, butter, and flour.

SOURCES:
DaysCustFaith-1957, p. 282
DictFolkMyth-1984, p. 38, 184, 842, 1051, 1052
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 200
FestWestEur-1958, pp. 17, 47, 100
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 427
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 635
HolSymbols-2009, p. 19
OxYear-1999, p. 441
RelHolCal-2004, p. 105
SaintFestCh-1904, p. 472

Celebrated in: Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti, San Marino, Timor-Leste

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All Souls' Day (Cochiti Pueblo)

November 2

The Cochiti Pueblo Indians, who occupy the northernmost of the Keresan-speaking pueblos along the Rio Grande west of Santa Fe, refer to this day as "Their Grandfathers Arrive from the West Feast" (or "Their Grandfathers Arrive from the Dead Feast" ). Converted to Catholicism by Spanish missionaries in the late 17th century, the Cochiti Indians regard All Souls' Day as an opportunity to persuade the visiting spirits of the departed that they have not been forgotten and that their kin are prospering. Each family fasts, setting out bowls of food in the corner of the house and leaving the door open for the returning spirits. The family's material goods—in the form of blankets, shawls, and jewelry—are displayed on the walls, and candles are lit so that the dead can find their way to their former homes. The men congregate in the kiva, or ceremonial chamber, where they spend the night singing and cutting up small pieces of food as offerings for the dead.
Similar ceremonies are held at other Indian pueblos in New Mexico. At Taos Pueblo, for example, the church bell rings all night while candles burn and food is brought to the graves in the churchyard. At the Zuni Pueblo around this same time, Grandmothers' Day is celebrated by making offerings of food to the dead. The men and boys spend the day going from house to house singing and receiving food.

CONTACTS:
Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St. N.W.
Albuquerque, NM 87104
866-855-7902 or 505-843-7270; fax: 505-842-6959
www.indianpueblo.org

Celebration day: Nov 2