All Saints' Day
Historical Context
All Saints' Day falls on 1 November every year and is one of the 10 official public holidays. It is the day when families traditionally visit and decorate the graves of their loved ones with chrysanthemums.
All Saints' Day on 1 November honours all saints, known and unknown. The origin of the feast goes back to the early Christian church, but it was Pope Gregory IV who fixed the date at 1 November for the entire Western church in the ninth century. The choice of autumn was deliberate: the church wanted to offer a Christian alternative to existing Celtic autumn rituals honouring the dead. The following day, 2 November, became All Souls' Day, dedicated to remembrance of the departed. In practice, the two days blur together in Belgium: most cemetery visits take place on 1 November.
The heart of All Saints' Day is the cemetery visit. Families make their way to the graveyard to tend and decorate the graves of their loved ones with chrysanthemums and memorial candles. Cemeteries across the country are noticeably busy on this day. The chrysanthemum is so closely associated with death in Belgium that it is considered impolite to bring one as a gift when visiting someone's home. In the days before 1 November, florists and supermarkets work overtime: chrysanthemum sales hit their annual peak.
Regional Traditions
All of Belgium
Families visit cemeteries to clean headstones, lay chrysanthemums and light candles. Because All Souls' Day (2 November) is not a public holiday, remembrance rituals are concentrated on 1 November.
Wallonia
Flower markets specifically for cemetery visits appear in cities like Mons and Liège. Families buy chrysanthemums and memorial candles and often spend the entire morning at the cemetery.
Flanders
Chrysanthemums are so strongly associated with death that they are never brought as a gift when visiting someone's home. Florists see their highest turnover of the year around All Saints' Day.