_Allerheiligentag/All Saints Day
Artist: Wassily Kandinsky.1911
Munich, Germany.Wikipaintings.org
November is a month of many observances in Germany. Among those celebrated is Allerheiligentag, or All Saints Day. The traditions and customs of Allerheiligentag are observed with solemnity and respect. On November 1, Catholics throughout Germany gather with extended family to celebrate all saints alongside the memory of the secular deceased.
1 Celebrate Allerheiligentang as a legal holiday in the predominately Catholic German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Northrhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate and Saarland. In other parts of the country where the majority of the population is Protestant, All Saints Day is not observed as a governmental holiday.
2 Attend Allerheiligen Gottesdiens (church service) on the morning of All Saints Day. Prayers are said for past and present saints on this day, while sermons often focus on the points of living a godly or "saintlike" life. The next day's (All Souls Day) services celebrate prayers for the souls of the deceased.
3 Gather at noon for large family meal and listen for the pealing of church bells. The souls of the dead are said to walk the earth among the living beginning at noon on All Saints Day until the bells ring. The chiming is a signal for the souls to be released for any earthly bindings. Follow the meal with a procession to the cemetery, where the graves of loved ones are tended carefully. Often families will bring candles or lanterns as well as flowers and evergreen boughs to place on the graves. Candles on the burial sites are intended to help illuminate the way to God.
4 Eat the traditional All Saints Day bread, Strietzel. The sweet braided bread is given to children by their godparents. It can quite long, sometimes upwards of three feet and is oftentimes eaten during an afternoon "Kaffee und Kuchen" party after returning from the traditional visit to family burial sites. In some German villages you may also be able to enjoy the sound of children singing from door to door.
5 Connect with the Catholic history of Germany by visiting the ruins of All Saints' Abbey in Baden-Württemberg. Among the ancient ruins is a chapel dedicated to honor All Saints as well as a museum and a small cafe.
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1 Celebrate Allerheiligentang as a legal holiday in the predominately Catholic German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Northrhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate and Saarland. In other parts of the country where the majority of the population is Protestant, All Saints Day is not observed as a governmental holiday.
2 Attend Allerheiligen Gottesdiens (church service) on the morning of All Saints Day. Prayers are said for past and present saints on this day, while sermons often focus on the points of living a godly or "saintlike" life. The next day's (All Souls Day) services celebrate prayers for the souls of the deceased.
3 Gather at noon for large family meal and listen for the pealing of church bells. The souls of the dead are said to walk the earth among the living beginning at noon on All Saints Day until the bells ring. The chiming is a signal for the souls to be released for any earthly bindings. Follow the meal with a procession to the cemetery, where the graves of loved ones are tended carefully. Often families will bring candles or lanterns as well as flowers and evergreen boughs to place on the graves. Candles on the burial sites are intended to help illuminate the way to God.
4 Eat the traditional All Saints Day bread, Strietzel. The sweet braided bread is given to children by their godparents. It can quite long, sometimes upwards of three feet and is oftentimes eaten during an afternoon "Kaffee und Kuchen" party after returning from the traditional visit to family burial sites. In some German villages you may also be able to enjoy the sound of children singing from door to door.
5 Connect with the Catholic history of Germany by visiting the ruins of All Saints' Abbey in Baden-Württemberg. Among the ancient ruins is a chapel dedicated to honor All Saints as well as a museum and a small cafe.
http://www.ehow.com