If there is one question that needs to be answered during the Feast of the Dead, it’s this: when do we usually visit your dearly departed? Is it November 1, or November 2?
Purists would pick a specific date since they tend to hyperfixate. Others would settle for when they are available and would consider their free time, the horrendous traffic leading to cemeteries, and the waves of people visiting their loved ones.
Some would just simply shrug and think that, just like birthdays, 𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑎s will just pass.
But isn’t it a fascinating showcase of digression when people have this odd obsession with taking sides on which day is correct?
The confusion may stem from how these dates are named: November 1 is All Saints’ Day, while November 2 is All Souls’ Day.
According to the Catholic website, 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐴𝑑𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡, November 1 is intended to “honor all saints, both known and unknown,” also serving to address the shortage of feasts for saints throughout the year. Historically, it was Pope Gregory IV who changed the Feast of All Martyrs from May 13 to November 1, creating the observance we know today.
161 years later, Saint Odilo, the Benedictine abbot of Cluny in France, set November 2 as the day to offer prayers for the souls in purgatory.
Agnostic linguists might counterargue based purely on words and their meanings, even without understanding the ecclesiastical connections: November 1 for the saints, November 2 for the souls. It’s as plain as it gets.
In Metro Manila, people flock to cemeteries each year on All Saints’ Day since it often marks the start of a long weekend. However, those traveling great distances to the provinces console themselves by visiting on All Souls’ Day.
For Brandeis University’s Center for Spiritual Life, November 1 reminds the faithful that they are in communion with those who lived holy lives but were not necessarily canonized as saints. On the other hand, November 2 became a day more focused on all the dead.
So, to circle back to the question, when is the right time to visit? The answers could lie in your preference and availability: festivities that are essential to our culture can sometimes be interchanged, and the change isn’t all that bothersome.
