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Definition:
The Feast of All Souls is celebrated on All Souls' Day, November 2st in the Western
Christian Calendar since the eleventh century. The purpose of the Feast of All
Souls is to remember and honor deceased relatives. Some believe that the
continued prayers of the living might help the souls of the dead achieve greater
purification and, hence, getting into heaven. In the meantime, souls inhabit
an intermediate stage between heaven and hell. Western Christians have
emphasized the punitive nature of this stage while Eastern Christians tend to
regard it as a place to grow and mature.
The earliest official celebrations of All Souls Day appear to go back to Odilo, an abbot at the Cluny monastery in France who ordered that the date be observed in all Cluniac monasteries. The custom of remembering the dead can, however, be found among Christians at least as early as the third century. There are also much older pagan influences.
One of the beliefs which was transmitted to Christianity was the idea that souls of the deceased would visit the home on this date and the people's food - thus leading to the tradition of "soulcakes" being left out. In Mexico, people hold family picnics by the graves of dead relatives and children are given toys and treats - some shaped like skeletons.
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