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What Is All Souls’ Day?
All Souls' Day is a special day of prayer and remembrance that is celebrated by Christians.
�All Souls’ Day is celebrated by many cultures around the world after All Saints’ Day. This usually falls on the 2nd November. However, in some parts of the world, the event is celebrated over two days — the 1st and 2nd November.
�This day is also known to be called the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, Feast of All Souls or Day of the Dead.
What Happens on All Souls’ Day?
On All Souls’ Day, people often spend the day with family and celebrate the lives and souls of those who have died.
�Many people will visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. Often, prayers are read for the souls who have died and people decorate the graves with flowers and candles.
�Like many religious celebrations, the way people celebrate this occasion varies across the globe.
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How Is All Souls’ Day Celebrated Around the World?
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, people may attend a Church service on this special day.
During this service, music is often played and it is a time to read prayers and remember deceased family members and friends.
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In Ireland, some people celebrate All Souls’ Day by having a picnic at the cemetery. Sometimes, families may leave out food for their dead relatives who they believe are on their journey to Heaven.
Ireland
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Mexico
In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is called El Día de los Muertos.
The Day of the Dead is a holiday that spills into streets and public squares at all hours of the day and night over two days — the 1st and 2nd November. The first day is to remember children who have died and the second day is to remember adults.
This festival is viewed as a joyful time in Mexico, as it helps people remember the dead by celebrating their memory. It is celebrated by young and old together.
Symbols and objects such as skulls are significant to the festival. This may be expressed by people dressing up in colourful costumes, having their face painted as skeletons or decorating graves with sugar skulls.
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Italians will often visit the graveyard, taking flowers, particularly chrysanthemums and lighting candles, as a way of paying their respects to family and friends who have died.
Some Christians believe that the spirits of those have died return to Earth on All Souls’ Day. Therefore, to welcome them, it is a common Italian tradition to set up an extra place at the table or put out a plate of food for their loved ones.
In some regions of Italy, they will celebrate the day by hosting parades where local school children dress up as their favourite saint. This is a way to help remember those who have died and educate a new generation to continue their traditions in the future.
Italy
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Guatemala
In Central America, people gather together at the Barriletes Gigantes Festival, also known as the Giant Kites Festival.
Preparing for this day, people can take weeks or even months to build their kites — some have been seen to be as big as 20 metres across! Sometimes, people will write a note to their loved one who has died and tie it to the kite’s tail for their ancestor to read in Heaven.
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Philippines
In the Philippines, people often observe this day by visiting the cemetery with their families to clean and decorate their ancestors’ graves. Filipinos traditionally light candles or burn incense and will sometimes spend the night there.
As well as this, people hold reunions and cook a feast of the deceased loved one’s favourite foods with family and friends.
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Which culture did you enjoy learning about the most?
�Which culture would you like to celebrate with the most? Why?
�What things might you do to celebrate All Souls’ Day with your family?
Talk about It
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