Sunday in honor of the commemoration of the dead in Germany (20/11)

November — last month of autumn — rainy, gloomy and dreary. This mood of nature also affects people's mood. It is in this month that the dead are commemorated more often. On November 1 and 2, the Catholic Church commemorates all saints, martyrs and the deceased; in mid-November, the Day of People's Sorrow is celebrated (German). Volkstrauertag), and on one of the last Sundays in November, a similar day is celebrated by the Protestant Church.

On the Day of Remembrance of the Dead (Totensonntag), during services, the names of parishioners who died last year are announced, 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 was chosen for this day. On the one hand, this is a designation of end, irrevocability. However, one week later the light of the first Advent candle, which is a symbol of a new, beginning life, lights up again. 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 accept the Catholic All Saints' Day and did not create a similar holiday in the Protestant calendar, as they wanted to separate themselves from the undesirable cult of burials and the deceased. In most Protestant parishes, a taboo was placed on commemorating the deceased until the early 19th century.

In 1816, the Prussian king Frederick William III declared the last Sunday of the church year «Day of Remembrance for those killed in the war of liberation against Napoleon». Gradually, many similar regional holidays united and joined this day. The Protestant Church adopted it and contrasted it with Catholic All Saints' Day.

864