Both All Souls Day and the Day of the Dead honor the souls of the dearly departed. However, they are not the same and there are major differences between the two. The Day of the Dead began in Mexico. This day focuses on a celebration of the departed. It’s also a day the living try to briefly reunite with their lost loved ones.
On All Souls Day, Catholics are encouraged to pray for the souls of their loved ones. They do this because their souls might be in purgatory. This is a temporary place of punishment that sinners are waiting to be purified of their sins before ascending to heaven. The idea of purgatory came about during the Middle Ages in 1170. The teaching stems from a verse in the book of 2 Maccabees, which is included in the Catholic Bible. Roman Catholics teach that souls end up in purgatory when they are not in a perfect state of grace and communion with God when they die.
All Souls Day is not observed by most Protestant denominations, as they do not believe in purgatory. Some protestant churches, however, such as the Anglicans observe the day by praying for the dead.
Odilo, the fifth Benedictine abbot of Cluny, established All Souls Day. Cluny was located in France and considered the most important monastery in Western Europe. Odilo had become abbot in 994. He chose the date of November 2nd as it comes directly after All Saints Day.
Source: https://nationaldaycalendar.com
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