With Labor Day now over, most have noticed the fall decor that has rapidly started appearing in stores. While different holidays are celebrated around the world, their histories are often entwined; specifically the Roman Catholic holidays’ All Saints Day and All Souls Day in comparison to the Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos.

Día de los Muertos is held on November 1 and 2, while Roman Catholics split this celebration into separate holidays; All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1 and All Souls Day is celebrated on November 2. These holidays share the common theme of bringing together family and friends in order to remember and pray for those who have passed. 

All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows, honors all saints of the Lord, known and unknown. On this day people give thanks and ask for the continuation of the saints’ prayers to watch over their lives, and the lives of their family. A Communion of the Saints is experienced on this day, demonstrating that all of God’s people, in heaven and on Earth, are connected to one another. 

The day directly following All Saints Day, is All Souls Day, which is attributed to St. Odilo, the fifth abbot of Cluny. With Aztec origins, this is a day of not honoring the dead, but an opportunity to remember their lives. By setting another place at the dinner table and lighting candles, these acts invite and direct passed loved ones back home. A day filled with prayers and masses, this enables the purification of those souls destined for heaven. 

The holiday most like All Saints Day and All Souls Day, is Día de los Muertos, which is mainly celebrated in Mexico. In order to honor the departed, private alters, known as ofredas, are built and covered in marigolds to attract the souls of the dead. Sugar skulls, known as calaveras, are displayed and the favorite foods and beverages of the deceased are produced. Unlike the Catholic holidays, Día de los Muertos is celebrated with different customs not only throughout the world, but throughout Mexico. Some customs include the wearing of shells and dancing, making sound to attract the deceased, while others bring toys to attracted the departed children and bottles of tequila to attracted the departed adults. However the souls are attracted the day ends the same for most, meeting at cemeteries to be closest to the deceased as possible. 

The night before these holidays are celebrated, October 31, marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the cold winter to come, which was associated with death. With Celtic origins, what we know as Halloween was originally called the night of the Samhain (sow-in), which was even later known as All Hallows Eve. On the night of Samhain, ghosts of the dead returned to Earth, not to see their loved ones, but to cause havoc. In celebration, Druids would create bonfires and offer sacrifices to Celtic deities, while dressed in costumes; these costumes normally included the heads and skins of animals. With the conquering of Celtic territories by the Romans, by the 800s, religions were interwoven and Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day are now called Hallowmas. 

To start preparing for Hallowmas make sure to check out Geppi’s Entertainment’s Morphy Auctions selection of Halloween collectibles in their current auction. Closing September 11, 12 & 13, 2008, Morphy’s fall auction is a “can’t miss!”