Allhallowtide is a three-day observance in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, traditionally understood as a time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all other faithful departed, reflecting on death, judgment, and the afterlife. The name given to this observance can be broken into three words: “All” meaning “every”, “hallow” meaning “holy”, and “tide” meaning “time/season”. The sequence of these three memorials include:

- 31st of October: All Hallows’ Eve – marks the beginning of the observance of Allhallowtide.

- 1st of November: All Saints’ Day – a solemnity recognising all the saints, known and unknown, who are venerated in heaven above

- 2nd of November: All Souls’ Day – a memorial reflecting on all the faithful departed, believed by the Catholic faith to be on their purifying journey in Purgatory.

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The purpose of Allhallowtide is to unite the Church Triumphant (the saints in Heaven), the Church Militant (the faithful on Earth), and the Church Suffering (souls in Purgatory) in one communion of prayer, sacrifice, and hope. This sacred triduum emphasizes that death is not the end, and that Love can extend beyond the earthly grave. This was first established by Pope Gregory III, and was later made a Holy Day of Obligation in the 9th century.

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In Western Christian tradition, the entire month of November is dedicated to remembering the faithful who have passed from this earth. They are believed to be undergoing a stage of purification in Purgatory, to be in a worthy state to enter the eternal paradise. Catholics would traditionally attend Masses for the dead, and offer suffrages (prayers, indulgences, fasting, almsgiving and penance). Traditionally and even today, Catholics will visit cemeteries to pray for the departed, particularly during the octave 1st to 8th November, during which a plenary indulgence may be granted. It is believed that the souls still undergoing purification can be assisted along their journey to heaven by prayers of the living on earth.

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“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030)

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Although the concept of Purgatory is distinctly Catholic, other ancient philosophers have pondered the soul’s journey after death, their views often parallel Catholic eschatology in intriguing ways:

In Plato’s commentary, Phaedo, he states,

“For the soul which has never followed after philosophy…is weighed down and dragged again into the visible world…instead of rising pure and free to the upper realm.”

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This describes a form of judgement after death similar to the Catholic concept of Purgatory, whilst affirming the dignity of the soul, moral accountability, and life after death.