All Souls' Day

Farewell October!

Happy Belated Hallows' Eve to you all...and wishing you an eventful All Souls' Day as well.

My apologies for not getting back on with a proper Halloween post, but it was a busier-than-I-thought-it-would-be day. (Ever have one of those days where it seems none of your spells are working?? 😉)

And, well....I also missed All Saints' Day, so here we are at All Souls' Day.

{This was taken a few weeks ago...our leaves are long, long, gone....}

All Souls' Day seems to be an all but forgotten holiday, but I have always found it fascinating....  For modern Christians, it is usually a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have passed on. For Catholics, if is primarily a day where they pray for the souls of the departed who linger in purgatory so they may be released and go to heaven.

{One of the few gravestones I got up before the ground froze too hard.}

Traditionally and by many still, it is believed that on this day the border between the spirit world and real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to rejoin their living relatives for a short reunion.

In some cultures (e.g., Mexico), the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations and leave the deceased's favorite foods and other offerings at their gravesite, or in "ofrendas" built in their homes. It is a time of celebration, drinking, and dancing.  You likely know it by "El Día de los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead."

{This is a real one and stays out year round....}

In European and Spanish cultures, the holiday is a 3-day affair, beginning on Halloween when, at midnight, the gates of heaven open. November 1st is "El Día de los Inocentes" (literally, "Day of the Innocents" or, as we know it, All Saints' Day. This is when the spirits of children can rejoin their families for a 24-hour period.

{Another real one that stays out all year....}

The spirits of adults can then rejoin their families for a 24-hour period on November 2nd, "All Souls Day."

{In case you're wondering, she's typing "The Raven."}

Visiting hours are almost over, so I best be moving on.

Hold your loved ones close because we never know when those in-person visits might end.