Day of Remembrance of the Dead in Germany

On this day it is customary to decorate the graves of relatives with flowers and candles.November - the last month of autumn - rainy, gloomy and dreary. This mood of nature affects the mood of people. It is during this month that the dead are remembered more often. On November 1 and 2, the Catholic Church commemorates all saints, martyrs and the dead. And on the last Sunday of November, the Protestant Church celebrates a similar day.

On the Day of Remembrance of the Dead (Totensonntag), the names of the parishioners who died last year are announced during worship services, and relatives commemorate them in cemeteries with chants and prayers. The ringing of church bells on this day reminds everyone of the frailty of life.

It is not surprising that the last Sunday of the church year is chosen for this day. On the one hand, it is a sign of the end, irrevocability. One week later, however, the first Advent candle, a symbol of a new beginning of life, re-ignites. Thus, it is clearly emphasized that death is not the end of life.

The day begins in the 15th century. Initially, the reformers did not adopt Catholic All Saints Day and did not create a similar holiday in the Protestant calendar, as they wanted to separate from the undesirable cult of burials and the dead. In most Protestant parishes, until the early 19th century, commemoration of the dead was taboo. In 1816, the Prussian king Frederick William III declared the last Sunday of the church year "Day of remembrance of those who died in the war of liberation against Napoleon." Gradually, a lot of such regional celebrations united and joined this day. The Protestant Church adopted it and contrasted it with the Catholic All Saints’ Day.