All Souls' Day in Canada

Many Christian churches in Canada annually mark All Souls’ Day on November 2. All Souls’ Day is a time for many Christians to remember deceased family members or friends.

Some churches hold special services to remember All Souls' Day.

©iStockphoto.com/andres balcazar

What do people do?

Many Christian churches in Canada hold special All Souls’ Day services each year. These services include songs, sermons, and prayers that reflect the day’s theme. Some churches give their members the opportunity to write the names of deceased loved ones in a prayer request book so that they can be included in special prayers.

Some people visit the graves of deceased family members or friends on or around this time of the year. Some Christian schools and church Sunday schools teach their students about the meaning and significance of All Souls’ Day, as well as another closely associated day known as All Saints Day, which falls on November 1.

Public life

All Souls’ Day is not a nationwide public holiday in Canada.

Background

All Souls’ Day was first instituted at the monastery in Cluny in 993 CE and quickly spread throughout the Christian world. People held festivals for the dead long before Christianity. It was Saint Odilo, the abbot of Cluny in France, who in the 10th century, proposed that the day after All Saints’ Day be set aside to honor the departed, particularly those whose souls were still in purgatory. All Souls’ Day is marked on November 2 in many church calendars in Canada.

Symbols

Some churches in Canada are named in honor of All Souls’ Day.

About All Souls' Day in other countries

All Souls' Day Observances

Related holidays

• All Saints' Day ―Friday, November 1, 2013
• Halloween ―Thursday, October 31, 2013

Other holidays in November 2013 in Canada

• All Saints' Day ―Friday, November 1, 2013
• Diwali/Deepavali ―Sunday, November 3, 2013
• Daylight Saving Time ends ―Sunday, November 3, 2013
• Muharram/Islamic New Year ―Tuesday, November 5, 2013
• Remembrance Day ―Monday, November 11, 2013
• First Day of Hanukkah ―Thursday, November 28, 2013