All Souls’ Day: understand the origin and celebrations around the date

The All Souls holiday is celebrated this Wednesday (2) in Brazil and in some countries. The date refers to mourning, longing and tribute to the dead. The date also brings various religious and cultural aspects that are applied in different parts of the world.

The commemorative date is very old in the Catholic calendar, as explained by anthropologist and law graduate Mirella Braga, professor of Law and Social Service at Unipê.

“In an article published in 2010 by the anthropologist Misia Reesink, she addresses the day of the dead to the beginning of the 11th century, the day designated by the Catholic Church as the date on which the Church Militant, that is, the living Catholics, remembers and remembers. pity of the Penitent Church, which are the souls not yet completely saved”, explains the teacher.

As for the origin of the celebrations, the anthropologist says that the feast was established by the abbot Odilon, of Cluny, France, around 1030, expanding, in a short time, throughout the Catholic world as a celebration of their dead.

“All Souls’ Day became special, dedicated to the memory of the people who died, and it was up to the living to re-signify, year after year, the bonds with their relatives and friends when visiting the cemeteries, when visiting the tombs (strong tradition Catholic) and attend a mass to ‘deliver’ the soul of the deceased”, comments Mirella Braga.

Celebrations around the world

All Souls’ Day is a universal celebration, having its peculiarities according to the context in which the group or individual is inserted, explains the teacher.

“It serves as a moment to remember the friend, relative or close person who died. It is easy to see this important peculiarity when we think of the Mexican film ‘Life is a Party’ [2017]in which Mexicans celebrate the day of the dead [Finados] in a more festive and colorful way”, he says.

The teacher reports that in the film it is possible to see that Mexicans, unlike Brazilians, celebrate the dead with flowers, portraits of the dead and small offerings with candles, in addition to the exhibition of skulls painted in contrasting colors. There, the date is known as Dia de Los Muertos. “It is also part of the ritual of Mexicans to listen to songs that remind their loved ones”, she adds.

The mixture between Christian and pre-Columbian cultures – which occupied America before the arrival of Europeans – added new rites to the Day of the Dead. In some places, the Day of the Dead is a major cultural expression and tourist attraction.