Many countries in the world observe All Saints Day. In certain parts of the world and especially in Europe, such as France, Italy, Poland, and Austria, (but not exclusive to them), this day is a public holiday meaning schools, banks, government offices, and most businesses are closed. The atmosphere of All Saints' Day is unique. In countries such as Belgium, France, Hungary, and Italy people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives.
In other parts of Europe, such as Austria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania, it is customary to light candles on top of visiting graves of deceased relatives.
Monica Nowicka has always accompanied her parents to the cemetery since she was a kid. "All Saints Day is a very special day for my family. We all attend Mass at the cemetery and later visit the graves of our relatives and lay flowers and candles and pray together for their souls," she said. "My grandmother has always encouraged us to lay flowers and candles even on the graves of the unknown," she added. In the evening cemeteries are decorated with glowing and flickering colorful lights of myriads of candles presenting a unique and picturesque scene. The candles that are laid on graves have one characteristic: they can burn for many hours. There is a popular belief among the poles that "these candles help the departed souls find their way through the darkness." But this day is not just about the dead, it is also a time for self-introspection. It is a time to slow down, calm down, think and be aware of the temporal nature of human life on earth.
In Europe, graves come in different shapes and sizes. They are made of rocks (granite, marble, sandstone, etc.), some are completely covered with stone while some have soil adorned with planted flowers. It is rare to see two similar graves, except maybe military graves. They are either individual (for one person) or family vaults. They differ in their richness. But even the most forgotten graves are full of lights and candles on this day.
At the flower shop at the Ancient Cemetery of Guillotière, Daniel Bregnon is part of the family florist and he says this year, All Saints Day has given him good business. "People have been buying flowers in the last fifteen days. Two more days and that will be it for the year", he said. On display, the Bregnon have roses, Cala lilies, anemones, aster, and camelia among others. " Of all the flowers, the most we have sold are the chrysanthemum (also known as the queen of all flowers), revealed Daniel. This is not just because it can endure cold weather but also for its beauty and what it represents including sorrow and devotion.
All Saints as the name indicates, "is the feast of all baptized who were sanctified by the water of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. They are those who at the same time were officially recognized as saints by the church because of their exemplary lives or as martyrs," says Fr. Daniel Mellier. But it is wider than that because "it also includes members of our families that have gone before us who helped us discover the presence of God in our lives and salvation in Jesus Christ. In the creed, we often recite that we believe in the communion of Saints," he added. Christians’ faith according to Fr. Mellier, “expresses itself by the fact that death is not a void but a passage, and an encounter with our lord Jesus Christ source of life, and that is why we bless the tombs of the departed.”
All though there seems to be confusion between All Saints and All Souls Day, the Catholic liturgy distinguishes well All Saints Day, as a day to give thanks for all those who were sanctified by the waters of baptism and All Souls Day where the prayers of the church are more oriented toward the dead, asking God to receive their souls in peace.
But in France, according to Fr. Yvon Crusson, “there is a popular mentality where the two feasts are intertwined, and for most of the people All Saint’s Day is a day of prayer for the dead and that is why on this day many people even the non-believers render themselves to the family cemetery to put flowers on the tombs of their loved ones.”
What provoked the confusion between the two feasts he said, “is maybe because it was insisted that the communion of all saints is the link that exists between the living and the dead that makes the feast of All Saints to be characterized especially by the prayer for the dead. But the link between the living and the dead is not as much as it is in Africa where ancestors have great importance in the life of a family.”
Despite the decline of religious practice in Europe, there is a sort of filial gesture to go and pay a visit to the cemetery and adorn the tombs of relatives.
For many French, this is a time also for family gatherings/encounters. It is not always a strong Christian faith or belief, but the remnant of the Christian tradition that marked French society. Fr. Crusson however regrets the fact that “there is such a small number of young families that ask for masses for their deceased during this time. It is just the elderly people who continue to ask for masses for their dead.”
In the mentality of people, even if there is a parochial mass on the second of November, many would only show up on All Saint’s Day.
In West Africa and Togo in particular, in Kabyè culture, November 1st is a very special day. In addition to the feast dedicated to the saints, it is the day for visiting the graves because of the holiday character of this day. "The Kabyè people are very attached to their dead. In the year, the month of February is the month dedicated to the dead. It is the month of funerals," says Father Donald Zagore, former parish priest in Saoudé.
In the relationship of the Kabyè people with the dead, several aspects remain special. One aspect that is special is that "the Kabyè people, especially those of Saoudè, do not have cemeteries in the strict sense of the word.
In other cultures, cemeteries are almost outside the city to mark the demarcation between the living and the dead. In Saoudè, however, "the tombs are mainly located around the houses. Each family has its own grave. There is no sense of a continuous relationship between the living and the dead. As if there were no barriers. The family remains the family. Even death cannot break the bonds or the balance.
This reality, according to Father Zagore, "makes it difficult for the priests who work there to bless the graves. Because they must go to hundreds of houses in the mountains to bless hundreds of graves during the month of November.
East or West, home is the best place to be for All Saints and All Souls.
By Dominic Wabwireh, SMA
