What is All Souls' Day?

All Souls' Day, on 2 November, is the Catholic day of prayer and remembrance for all the faithful who have died. The observance is rooted in the doctrine of purgatory — the belief that the souls of those who died in a state of grace may still be in need of purification before entering heaven, and that the prayers of the living can aid them.

The feast was popularised by Saint Odilo of Cluny, who in 998 CE ordered all Cluniac monasteries to offer special prayers for the dead on 2 November. The practice spread throughout the Western church. All Souls' Day follows All Saints' Day (1 November) in a three-day sequence beginning with All Hallows' Eve (31 October) — a period collectively known as Allhallowtide.

In Mexico and parts of Central America, All Souls' Day merges with pre-Columbian Aztec traditions to create Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a colourful festival in which families build altars (ofrendas) for deceased relatives, visit cemeteries, and celebrate the lives of the departed. UNESCO inscribed it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.