All Souls’ Day

Shimla, Nov. 1 Himachal Tonite Story

All Souls’ Day was celebrated by the Christian community here today at the Cemetery Sanjauli with the prayers for the departed souls of loved ones. Before it, prayers and a Mass was held at Church to celebrate All Saints’ Day.

“Being working day on November 2 we celebrated the All Souls’ Day today by praying for the souls of our near and dear ones. There are some who are not able to go to heaven and are waiting in purgatory for someone to pray for them to find their place in Heaven.  Those who pray, are blessed with indulgence by God” informed Peter Ling.

The three days including Halloween, All Saints’  Day, and All Souls’ Day also called “Triduum of Hallowtide” is celebrated from October 31 every year till November 2 in some cultures and countries.

On October 31, Halloween – a contraction of “All Hallows’ evening or All Saints’ Eve celebration was observed in many countries, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.

In some cultures, it was believed that the veil between our world and the spirit world was at its thinnest during Halloween. People feared the presence of evil visiting them and as precautionary measures to hide from the spirits; they would dress up in disguises. The thought was that an evil spirit couldn’t find a person if he was disguised as an evil spirit himself.

It is believed by some hat with the prayers on all Saint Day an attempt is made to please Saints so that they can forgive the spirits trapped between the worlds or in purgatory. The next day on All Souls ‘ Day prayers is offered to calm down the spirits and try to put them back in their place – the other world.

In Roman Catholicism, All Saints’ Day is a Holy Day of Obligation. The holiday is typically observed with a reading of the Beatitudes, eight blessings given in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.