In the Orthodox Church, All Souls’ Day is dedicated to the departed. Because it was on a Saturday that Christ entered the tomb. And from the tomb we are led to the Resurrection. Soul Saturday, therefore, is a day of prayer for all those who have passed away. Not only for our own loved ones. For everyone. For those who have no one to remember them.
Today, the first All Souls’ Day of 2026, we go to church and submit the names. A memorial service is held. We boil kollyva, because the wheat that is placed in the earth and “dies” to bring forth new fruit reminds us of the Resurrection. Death is not the end. It is a sowing. And we don’t pray because we “fear.” We pray because we believe that love does not stop at the grave. The Church is one—both the living and the departed.
That’s why we say “eternal memory.” So that God may remember in the Book of Life… In His Heavenly Kingdom. And we ask Him not to forget us. As for us, we say it so they may remain alive within us. So we may remember them and honor them. All Souls’ Day is not a dark day. It is a day of hope. Because Christ conquered death.
