All Souls' Day

American  

noun

1. a day of solemn prayer for all dead persons, observed by Roman Catholics and certain Anglicans, usually on November 2.

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All Souls' Day British  

noun

1. RC Church a day of prayer (Nov 2) for the dead in purgatory

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Etymology

Origin of All Souls' Day

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

This would almost always take place around November 2, which was All Souls' Day, "a time for honoring the dead."

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2022

After the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, those traditions were melded into the Catholic calendar, and are now celebrated to coincide with All Souls’ Day.

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2021

Día de Muertos falls on Nov. 1 and 2 — which, not coincidentally, are All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in Catholicism.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2021

All Souls' Day, on 2 November, was the day people remembered and celebrated their dead, although Christianity has never given ancestors enough credit.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2013

“But I want to go to Mass on Wednesday for All Souls’ Day.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer