All Souls Sunday in Germany (Totensonntag)

In the culture of all peoples of the world there are traditions of honoring the dead In China, Qingming, the Festival of Pure Light, the time to restore order on burial mounds, falls on the 15th day after the spring equinox, Pitri-Paksha in India - at the end of the lunar month of Bhadrapada (in the European calendar for September-October) In Russia, commemoration of the dead, accompanied by the “feeding of souls,” is held on Ecumenical Parental Saturday, Demetrius Day, Trinity Sunday, and Radonitsa In Germany, on one of the last Sundays in November, Lutherans celebrate the Day of National Sorrow During services in honor of Totensonntag, the Protestant church remembers parishioners who died in the past year The official color of the liturgy is green Memorial events take place to the sound of bells and are accompanied by other rituals: relatives visit cemeteries, honor those who have passed on to another world with chants and prayers: the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins from the Gospel of Matthew is usually read The celebrations are timed to coincide with Advent - the period of anticipation for Christmas All Souls Sunday is the official commemorative "Day of Silence" in all states in Germany except Hamburg At this time, music is not played in public institutions, other rituals are observed Due to the nature of the holiday, the prayer bell freezes during services, which is a symbol of reminding believers of the transience of life The celebration is also called Ewikgeitssontag (ie "Eternity Sunday") or Sonntag vom Jüngsten Tage (translated from German as "Doomsday Sunday") The traditions of its celebration were laid down in 1816 by Friedrich Wilhelm III This king passed a law that all Lutheran churches located in Prussia must celebrate a memorial day every Sunday that precedes the beginning of the month before Christmas The holiday was established in honor of the memory of all German soldiers who died in the war of 1806-1807 against Napoleon Orthodox Catholics, unlike Protestants, commemorate the dead on November 2 after All Saints' Day The official colors of these events are purple and black The date of remembrance of the deceased, regardless of the religion of the residents of Germany, does not in any way detract from the importance of memorial celebrations Lutherans, a week after Totensonntag, light the first Christmas candle - a symbol of the beginning of a new life Thus, Protestants emphasize that death is not the end of existence, but the continuation of the development of the human soul in another world All Souls Sunday is a national day of mourning in Germany The regional holiday is one of the memorial celebrations occurring at the end of November, which is considered an important stage in the preparation of Protestants for Christmas