In Western Christianity, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. This day is observed in the Roman Catholic Church, churches of the Anglican Communion, Old Catholic Churches, and to some extent among Protestants. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls' Days during the year. The Roman Catholic celebration is based on the doctrine that the souls of the faithful which at death have not been cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for mortal sins, cannot attain the beatific vision in heaven yet, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the Mass (see Purgatory). All Souls Day, or All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos, is a 2005 zombie film written by Mark A. Altman and directed by Jeremy Kasten. ... Burning paper gifts for the departed. ... William Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905) All Souls Day File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Christian holiday. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Western Christianity is a... For other uses, see Afterlife (disambiguation). ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Anglicanism commonly refers to the beliefs and practices of the Anglican Communion, the churches that are in full communion with the see of Canterbury. ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Coptic Orthodox Pope · Roman Catholic Pope Archbishop of Canterbury · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Faith... According to Catholicism, a venial sin is a sin which meets at least one of the following critera: it does not concern a grave matter, it is not committed with full knowledge, or it is not committed with both deliberate and complete consent. ... According to the beliefs of Roman Catholicism, a mortal sin is a sin that, unless confessed and absolved (or at least sacramental confession is willed if not available), condemns a persons soul to Hell after death. ... In Roman Catholic theology, the beatific vision is the eternal, direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Prayer (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Mass, see Mass (disambiguation). ... Illustration for Dantes Purgatorio (18), by Gustave Doré, an imaginative picturing of Purgatory. ...

All Souls' Day is also known as the Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (from the Latin Commemoratio omnium Fidelium Defunctorum), Defuncts' Day (in Mexico and Belgium), or Day of the Dead (in Hungary, France and Italy). For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Day of the Dead (disambiguation). ...

The Western celebration of the feast falls on November 2 and follows All Saints Day, which commemorates the departed who have attained the beatific vision. Since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council the feast is celebrated on November 2 even in years when that date falls on a Sunday. In the traditional Latin rite, the observance is transferred to Monday, November 3 if November 2 is a Sunday, as the Mass for the dead and its black vestments is seen as inconsistent with the joyous nature of Sunday. is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Christian holiday. ... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

The Eastern church celebrates several days throughout the year, most falling on Saturdays, because of Jesus' resting in the tomb on Saturday. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, called Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis) by Eastern Christians, is a Christian church now within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. ...

Christian origin

The custom of setting apart a special day for intercession for certain of the faithful departed is very old. But the first feast of general intercession was first established by St. Odilo of Cluny (d. 1048). According to Jesse Voyles in his Life of St Odilo, a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land was cast by a storm on a desolate island. A hermit living there told him that amid the rocks was a chasm communicating with purgatory, from which perpetually rose the groans of tortured souls. The hermit also claimed he had heard the demons complaining of the efficacy of the prayers of the faithful, and especially the monks of Cluny, in rescuing their victims. Upon returning home, the pilgrim hastened to inform the abbot of Cluny, who then set 2 November as a day of intercession on the part of his community for all the souls in purgatory. The decree ordaining the celebration is printed in the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum (Saec. VI, pt. i. p. 585). Saint Odilo of Cluny was the fifth Benedictine Abbot of Cluny. ... Monument to pilgrims in Burgos, Spain This article is on religious pilgrims. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Holy Land (Biblical). ... For other uses, see Storm (disambiguation). ... Illustration for Dantes Purgatorio (18), by Gustave Doré, an imaginative picturing of Purgatory. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... The abbey today The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny) was founded on 2 September 909 by William I, Count of Auvergne, who installed Abbot Berno and placed the abbey under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The Abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Acta Sanctorum (Acts of the Saints) is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saints feast day. ...

Whatever the veracity of the above story, it is historically verifiable that the practice of celebrating November 2 as a day to pray for all of the departed did begin at the monastery of Cluny. From Cluny the custom spread to the other houses of the Cluniac order, which became the largest and most extensive network of monasteries in Europe. It was soon adopted in several dioceses in France, and spread throughout the Western Church. In time the entire month of November became associated with prayer for the departed in the Western Catholic tradition. Nonetheless the 2 November retained a special status as a day set apart for that purpose. Cluny nowadays The town of Cluny or Clugny lies in the modern-day département of Saône-et-Loire in the région of France, near Mâcon. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Eastern Orthodox Church

Among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians there are several All Souls' Days during the year. Most of these fall on Saturday, since it was on a Saturday that Jesus Christ lay in the Tomb, and are referred to as Soul Saturdays. They occur on the following occasions: Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Coptic Orthodox Pope · Roman Catholic Pope Archbishop of Canterbury · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Faith... The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, called Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis) by Eastern Christians, is a Christian church now within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. ...

• The Saturday of Meatfare Week (the second Saturday before Great Lent)—the day before the Sunday of the Last Judgement
• The second Saturday of Great Lent
• The third Saturday of Great Lent
• The fourth Saturday of Great Lent
• Radonitsa (Monday or Tuesday after Thomas Sunday)
• The Saturday before Pentecost
• Demetrius Saturday (the Saturday before the feast of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki—26 October)

(In the Serbian Orthodox Church there is also a commemoration of the dead on the Saturday closest to the Conception of St. John the Baptist—September 23) In the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the cycle of the moveable feast is built around Pascha, or Easter. ... Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... 16th century Russian Orthodox Icon of the Resurrection. ... Russian Icon of the Resurrection (16th century). ... The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th century illuminated manuscript. ... 12th-century mosaic depicting St Demetrios, from the Golden-Roofed Monastery in Kiev. ... Flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church Unknown flag, seen offten in public. ... John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or John the Dipper) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ... Sep. ...

Saturdays throughout the year are devoted to general prayer for the departed, unless some greater feast or saint's commemoration occurs. // Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church Easter/Pascha The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Easter or Pascha, is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are often depicted as having halos. ...

Protestantism

At the Reformation the celebration of All Souls' Day was fused with All Saints' Day in the Anglican Church, though it was renewed individually in certain churches in connection with the Catholic Revival of the 19th century. The observance was restored with the publication of the 1980 Alternative Service Book, and it features in Common Worship as a Lesser Festival called "Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day)". “Reformation” redirects here. ... All Saints in Poland The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Hallows, or Hallowmas, is a feast celebrated in honour of all the saints and martyrs, known or unknown. ... The Anglican Communion is a world-wide organisation of Anglican Churches. ... The Oxford Movement was a loose affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of them members of the University of Oxford, who sought to demonstrate that the Church of England was a direct descendant of the Christian church established by the Apostles. ... The Alternative Service book 1980 was the first complete prayer book produced by the Church of England since 1662. ... Common Worship is a series of books of services and prayers, known as a liturgy, published by the Church of England. ... Lesser Festivals are a type of observance in the Church of England, considered to be less significant than a Principal Feast, Principal Holy Day, or Festival, but more significant than a Commemoration. ...

Among continental Protestants its tradition has been more tenaciously maintained. Even Luther's influence was not sufficient to abolish its celebration in Saxony during his lifetime; and, though its Ecclesiastical sanction soon lapsed even in the Lutheran Church, its memory survives strongly in popular custom. Just as it is the custom of French people, of all ranks and creeds, to decorate the graves of their dead on the jour des morts, so German people stream to the graveyards once a year with offerings of flowers. Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... For other people named Martin Luther see: Martin Luther (disambiguation), or here for Martin Luther King, Jr. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... For a specific analysis of the population of France, see Demographics of France. ... A stereotypical German The Germans (German: die Deutschen), or the German people, are a nation in the meaning an ethnos (in German: Volk), defined more by a sense of sharing a common German culture and having a German mother tongue, than by citizenship or by being subjects to any particular... For other uses, see Flower (disambiguation). ...

Pagan roots

Certain popular beliefs connected with All Souls' Day are of pagan origin and immemorial antiquity. Thus the dead are believed by the peasantry of many Catholic countries to return to their former homes on All Souls' Night and partake of the food of the living. ^{[citation needed]} In Tyrol, cakes are left for them on the table and the room kept warm for their comfort. In Brittany, people flock to the cemeteries at nightfall to kneel, bareheaded, at the graves of their loved ones, and to anoint the hollow of the tombstone with holy water or to pour libations of milk on it. At bedtime, the supper is left on the table for the souls. Pagan and heathen redirect here. ... Coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol Austria-Hungary in 1914, showing Tirol–Vorarlberg as the left-most province, coloured cream Capital Meran (Merano), until 1848 Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Created County 1140  - Bequeathed to Habsburgs 1363 or 1369  - Joined Council of Princes 1582  - Trent, Tyrol and... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ... Headstones in the Japanese Cemetry in Broome, Western Australia A cemetery in rural Spain A typical late 20th century headstone in the United States A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a burial. ... This article is about water that has been blessed. ... A glass of cows milk. ...

In Bolivia, many people believe that the dead eat the food that is left out for them. Some claim that the food is gone or partially consumed in the morning.

See also

• Prayer for the dead
• Office of the Dead
• Samhain, Halloween
• Anthesteria
• Day of the Dead
• Zaduszki
• Saturday of Souls
• Dia de los Muertos

Wherever there is a belief in the continued existence of mans personality through and after death, religion naturally concerns itself with the relations between the living and the dead. ... The Office of the Dead was an office traditionally read before a burial mass in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Look up Samhain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the holiday. ... Anthesteria, one of the four Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus, held annually for three days (11th-13th) in the month of Anthesterion (February-March). ... For other uses, see Day of the Dead (disambiguation). ... Zaduszki in Poland Zaduszki (also dzień zaduszny) is a Polish tradition of lighting candles (znicze) and visiting the graves of the relatives on All Souls Day. ... Saturday of Souls is any one of three to five observances within the liturgical year of Orthodox Christians and Byzantine Rite Catholics. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: All Souls' Day
• American Catholic: Feast of All Souls
• Saturday before PentecostPDF (17.1 KiB) Notes on Russian Orthodox observance by N. Bulgakov
• Saturday of Meatfare WeekPDF (13.9 KiB) N. Bulgakov