DHAKA, Nov 02 (V7N) — Catholic communities around the world are observing All Souls’ Day on Sunday, a solemn occasion dedicated to praying for the departed and commemorating loved ones through special liturgies, hymns and acts of remembrance.
 
In Bangladesh, churches and cemeteries held day-long observances from the morning. Thousands gathered at historic Christian burial grounds in Wari to participate in prayers and musical services that continued into the night. Family members lit candles at gravesides, sprinkled rosewater and placed flowers to honour the memory of the deceased.
 
Nirmal Rosario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Association, said congregations will hold morning prayers across the country, with a scheduled service at Tejgaon Church at 6:30 a.m. and the principal Mass and public gathering set to begin at 4:00 p.m. He noted that attendees will clean and decorate gravesites before offering candles and floral tributes, and cautioned that adverse weather could disrupt outdoor commemorations in some locations.
 
Major Christian cemeteries in Tejgaon, Wari, Mirpur and Chattogram were reported to be focal points for the day's ceremonies, drawing relatives and community members who come each year to remember the dead and pray for their souls’ repose.
 
All Souls’ Day traces its formal origin to 1048, when Odilo, abbot of the Abbey of Cluny in France, designated November 2 as a day of prayer for all the faithful departed. The observance spread gradually across Christendom over subsequent centuries and by the late 13th century had become widely observed throughout the Christian world.
 
Believers observe the day in the conviction that intercessory prayers, Masses and acts of charity assist the dead on their journey toward eternal rest. Churches worldwide marked the day with specially arranged liturgies and community remembrance events for the repose of departed souls.
 
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