How Families Remember Loved Ones Around the World

Candles, kites, and marigold altars show kids how families remember loved ones in five countries

Picture this: a cemetery lit up with candles, flowers everywhere, and whole families sitting down to eat together. For many people, that’s exactly how Nov.1 and 2 go, and it’s a lot more cheerful than it sounds. Here’s how families remember loved ones on All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day, and what kids can learn from five very different traditions.

What are All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day?

November 1st – All Saint’s Day honors saints while November 2 – All Soul’s Day is a time to remember and pray for family members and friends who have passed. In many countries, people visit cemeteries, clean graves, light candles, and share happy memories.

Philippines: Undas and the Family Reunion

Here in the Philippines, it’s called Undas, and it’s a big deal. Families travel home for it. They clean and decorate graves with flowers and candles, go to Mass, and eat together while swapping stories about the people they miss. Some families even stay at the cemetery overnight, so a solemn visit ends up feeling more like a reunion.

Mexico: Día de los Muertos and Marigold Altars

Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, mixes Indigenous and Catholic traditions. At home, the star is the ofrenda, a colorful altar covered with photos, candles, favorite foods, and bright marigolds. It’s a way to welcome and honor the spirits of the people families love.

Guatemala: Giant Kits Carrying Messages of Love

Then there are the kites. In Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, families fly giant, beautifully designed kites called barriletes during the Day of the Dead season. People believe the kites carry messages of love to those who have died. Whole communities turn up, and there’s food and music to go with it.

Italy: Shoes, Small Gifts, and Almond Treats

Kids in Italy get a little perk. In some parts of the country, children leave their shoes out on the eve of All Soul’s Day and may wake up to small gifts inside. It’s a sweet reminder that thinking about someone you miss can feel happy, too. Families may also bake fave del morti, almond-flavored cakes called “beans of the dead.”

England: Souling and Soulcakes

England has an old custom called souling. On the evening before All Soul’s Day, children went door to door and offered prayers for people’s departed relatives. In return, they got soulcakes, which are small fruit-filled cakes. Sound familiar? The custom helped inspire some Halloween trick-or-treating traditions.

What Do All These Traditions Share?

Kites, marigold altars, and candlelit graves look nothing alike. They all come from the same place, though: love doesn’t end when someone dies. Families pray, laugh, eat, and keep telling the stories.

You don’t necessary need a cemetery or a kite to try it. The next time everyone’s together, ask someone older to tell a story about a person who’s gone, and listen to what they remember best.

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