Overview
- November 2 is observed as All Souls’ Day, dedicated to remembering the deceased and offering prayers for those believed to be in Purgatory.
- All Saints’ Day on November 1 is a solemnity that honors all who are in heaven and, in the Catholic Church, is treated as a Holy Day of Obligation for Mass attendance unless excused.
- Papal actions set the dates: Boniface IV dedicated Rome’s Pantheon to Mary and the martyrs in 609, Gregory III moved the celebration to November 1, and Gregory IV extended it Church-wide in 837.
- Customs vary by country, with strong cultural expressions in places such as France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines, where families observe Undas with cemetery offerings.
- Regional outlets publish daily santoral calendars, and Spanish media note today’s listed saints and explain onomástica, the tradition of marking a person’s name-day.