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Ordinary Time
All Souls' Day / Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
Also called: Día de los Muertos (Mexico), Dzień Zaduszny (Poland), Giornata della Memoria, Seelensonntag (German)
November 2 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran
The day after All Saints', Catholics and others pray for everyone who has died — especially those still on a journey to heaven in Catholic teaching. Cemeteries fill with candles and chrysanthemums across Europe; in Mexico it merges with the colourful Día de Muertos.
It is quieter than All Saints' but deeply personal — families visit graves and remember loved ones. Eden lists retreat centres that offer remembrance services and grief support.
At a glance
- Type
- memorial
- Date type
- Fixed (same date every year)
- Regions
- Global
- Themes
- Penitence & Fasting, End Times & Hope, Saints & Martyrs
- Liturgical colour
- Black, Purple/Violet
Common questions
All Souls' Day is observed on November 2 (fixed). Moveable feasts shift each year; fixed feasts stay on the same calendar date.
The day after All Saints' Day, dedicated to prayer for all the faithful departed who are not yet in the full glory of heaven. In Catholic theology, this relates to the doctrine of Purgatory and the practice of praying for the dead. In Mexico and many Latin American cultures, November 1–2 is celebrated as Día de Muertos, a vibrant cultural and religious observance blending Aztec ancestor veneration
It is associated with Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran. It falls in the Ordinary Time season of the liturgical year.
