Glimpse: For all souls and saints

Kids eagerly check their bags for candies and sweets earned from a round of trick-or-treating. Teenagers come home from late-night celebrations and costume parties. Adults take down the black and orange decorations that adorn their households. These are all things that symbolize the end of Halloween, one of the most anticipated holidays throughout the year; and with it, the month of October. As the month of November begins, two other holidays follow directly in its wake: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. And while these two days may not be as celebrated or as anticipated as All Hallows’ Eve, they are still important celebrations, with their own culture and practices to be observed.

However, there are many people who don’t even know the difference between All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, much less the intricacies of their celebration. Although the traditional practices may not be as fun as getting free candy, or as exciting as an exchange of ghost stories, they are still important practices worth knowing and observing.

So what happens during these two days?

All Saints’ Day is traditionally celebrated on the first of November, the day after Halloween. Also known as All Hallows (hence Halloween being called ‘All Hallows’ Eve) or the Feast of All Saints, the day commemorates all those beatified in the Christian Church. The festival’s origin can be traced to May 13 of the early 600s, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs. However, the feast’s origin under the date  November first can be traced to Pope Gregory III who, on this date, dedicated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter’s to all the saints.

All Souls’ Day is celebrated a day after, on the second of November. It, on the other hand, celebrates the souls of all the dead, and not just those who have achieve beatification in the eyes of the Church. The origin of this festival is not as precise as the one preceding it, as there seems to be no exact date or time when All Souls’ Day was established. Instead, the origin seems to be linked to ancient folklore, such as the Chinese Ghost Festival, or the Mexican  Día de Muertos. Regardless of its origin, All Souls’ Day, or the Feast of All Souls as it is alternatively called, is still an important festival to be celebrated.

There are many different customs regarding All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day around the world. And while the festivals are products of the Roman Catholic Church, some non-Catholics and even atheists visit the dead on these days, to pay their respects and venerations. In Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, people make offerings to the dead, while in certain European countries, such as Italy or Poland, candles are lit on the graves of the dearly departed. Another famous practice is the act of laying flowers on the graves, which is done in nearly all parts around the world, from Europe, to Asia, to America.

In the Philippines, Todos los Santos or Araw ng mga Patay as we call it, is traditionally celebrated by family gatherings in the cemeteries where their departed family members lay. Here, the families offer prayers, flowers, and candles, and some Filipino-Chinese families burn incense for the departed. The day is passed by eating food, singing songs, general chit-chat, and prayer. Indeed, in the Philippines, the first two days of November become not just a time to remember the beloved dead, but a time to bond and get closer with the family still living.

People generally associate this time of the year with the frightening festivities of Halloween and not much else. People should remember that this is a time not just for spooky stories, but for the remembrance of the dead and the paying of respects to the dearly departed.