死者の日
死者の日は、主にローマ・カトリック教を進行している地域で、死者のために祈りやミサを行う日です。
これだけ書くと他のページで紹介した「諸聖人の日」と同じだと思われるかもしれませんが、「諸聖人の日」は天国に逝った全ての聖人や殉教者を思い出す日であるのに対して、この「死者の日」は死んで未だに天国に至っていない死者や、死んで間もない人のために祈る日とされています。
この風習は昔、ブルゴーニュ地方にあるクリュニー修道院の院長が九百九十八年に定めたのが始まりとされています。
当時は亡くなった僧侶たちの命日に行っているミサを、クリュニー修道院の院長が十一月二日に全て行う事にしたのです。
それが世界中の教会に広まり、さらには一般の人々も親しい人に対して行うようになったのです。
考え方としては、日本の「お彼岸」に近いといえます。
本来は「死者の日」にお墓参りをすべきなので、十月も中旬になると花屋では墓地に持っていく鉢植えをたくさん置き、11月になると墓地はお花でいっぱいになります。
また、親戚が集まって住んでいるような田舎では、とくに墓参りが多くて小さな村の墓地などは華やかになります。
ですが、教会が定める祝日に「死者の日」が無いので、祭日である前日の十一月一日の「諸聖人の日」のに墓参りをする人が多いのが現状です。
そのため、カトリック教徒の中では十一月一日を間違って「死者の日」だと思っている人がいるそうです。
また、十一月にどうしても都合の良い日が無い人は、十一月前後にお墓参りする人も多いです。
日本でも仕事の関係で「お盆」に休みが取れずに、お墓参りや帰省がズレる人は珍しくありませんね。
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All Souls' Day
All Souls' Day is to pray for the dead mainly in the area where people believe the Roman Catholic.
This might make you think that it is the same as All Saints' Day which was introduced in the other page, but while All Saints' Day is the day to remember all saints and martyrs who have gone into heaven, this All Souls' Day is the day to pray for the dead who died but still do not go to heaven and people who just passed away recently.
This custom is considered to be started a long time ago by the director of the Cluny Abbey in Burgundy in 998.
All masses of the anniversary of the deceased monks are decided to be performed on 2nd November by the director of the Cluny Abbey.
It has spread to the church around the world, and the general public also perform for close people.
It can be said that the idea is similar to Japanese equinoctial week.
Originally people should go to a grave on All Souls' Day , so a lot of potted plants to bring to the cemetery are sold in the middle of October in flower shops and the cemetery will be filled with flowers in November.
In addition the cemetery will be gorgeous especially in the countryside where relatives live together as people often go to graves.
But, since All Souls' Day is not the public holiday set by the church, so many people go to the grave on 1st November, All Saints' Day, which is the public holiday and the previous day of All Souls' Day.
Therefore, some Catholics consider wrongly that 1st November is All Souls' Day. In addition, people who do not have enough time in November go to graves around November.
It is not uncommon in Japan as well to go to graves and go back to their hometown around Obon festival as some people are not able to take a holiday on the day of Obon festival due to their work.
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