In the Czech Republic, the beginning of November belongs to the days when people return to places they otherwise rarely visit during the year. All Souls' Day (known in Czech as Dušičky) is not a holiday in the cheerful sense – it is two days to pause and light a candle at the cemetery for someone who was once here with us. This article is about what lies behind the tradition and how to approach it in practice.
Why All Souls' Day has endured here
All Souls' Day falls on 2 November, the day after the Solemnity of All Saints. The two dates are connected: on 1 November people remember those who, according to Catholic tradition, have reached their goal; on 2 November, all the other departed. In everyday Czech the two gradually merged into a single word – Dušičky, literally "little souls".
What is interesting is how well this custom has survived in the Czech Republic. We are among the countries with the lowest reported religiosity in Europe, and yet the first days of November bring more people to cemeteries than almost any other time. The explanation is probably simple: the need to belong somewhere and to remember someone is not a question of faith.
The form of the visit differs from region to region and family to family. Some go in the late afternoon, others in the morning. Some tidy the whole grave, others bring a single candle. In Moravia it is customary to visit graves that nobody tends any more and light a candle there too. This detail says more about the tradition than anything else.
Light as the oldest gesture
Of everything people bring to a grave, the candle is the oldest and most universally understood. It needs no explanation and works across faiths and without them. Light in the November darkness is a gesture everyone understands.
The practical problem is that November weather is not kind to candles. Wind, rain, sometimes the first snow. That is why lanterns and covered candle holders became common – not for their looks, but so that the flame lasts longer than five minutes. A wooden lantern with glazed sides copes with a light breeze and drizzle and, unlike plastic cups, looks calmer in a cemetery.
It is worth considering whether to leave the lantern in place or take it home. Both are fine. Many families choose the latter – the lantern is then not part of the grave's furnishings but something that returns year after year. Some use it at home on the windowsill for the rest of the year.
A practical note: If you leave a candle holder or lantern outdoors, treat the wood with outdoor oil before the season and expect the natural material to turn grey over time. That is not a defect – it is how wood ages. If you want to keep a piece in its original condition, take it home after your visit and store it somewhere dry.
What to think about when preparing
When to go
The official dates are 1 and 2 November, but in practice visits spread over the whole surrounding weekend. For families travelling from the other end of the country it is often the only feasible option – and nobody considers it any less respectful.
Those who want peace and quiet at the cemetery go early in the morning or after dark. An evening visit also has something a morning one does not: you see the lights on the other graves and realise how many people came before you.
What to bring
Besides a candle and lantern, a few practical things are easy to forget: a lighter or long matches, a cloth to wipe the gravestone, scissors to trim stems and a bag for rubbish. Most cemeteries have water, but there may be no watering can.
Chrysanthemums dominate among the flowers – not because they are symbolically linked to the occasion, but simply because they are in bloom here at this time of year. Alongside them, people use heather, conifer sprigs or a wreath of natural materials that lasts longer than cut flowers.
When children come along
A cemetery visit is often a child's first concrete encounter with a subject we otherwise avoid at home. It helps to talk about remembering rather than sadness and to give the child a specific task – carrying the candle, lighting it, laying a flower.
Storytelling works well too. When a story about what the person was like is told at the grave, the name on the stone stops being abstract. A dutiful stop turns into something the child can understand.
When there is no grave to visit
Not everyone has a place to go. Scattering gardens, urns at home, loved ones buried in another country – there are many situations. In that case, remembrance moves home and works just as well.
One spot in the home is enough: a candle holder on a shelf, a photograph beside it, perhaps a small object that belonged to the person. Lighting a candle at home on 2 November is not a substitute – it is a version of the same thing.
How All Souls' Day is observed in different regions
Customs around All Souls' Day have never become uniform here and still vary from region to region. In Moravia and Silesia, cemetery visits tend to be more communal and sociable – families meet at the graves, talk to each other, and in many places there is a shared prayer service. In Bohemia, especially in the border regions, visits are usually quieter and more private.
The situation in the former Sudetenland is notable: after the post-war expulsion of the German-speaking population, many cemeteries were left without descendants of the original inhabitants. In recent years, a custom has taken hold in many places of local associations or volunteers lighting candles on abandoned graves as well. The gesture is only loosely related to the original tradition, but it endures for the same reason – nobody should be completely forgotten.
Little of the older folk customs has survived to this day. In some areas people used to bake special All Souls' pastries, or leave milk and bread on the table overnight for the souls of the dead, who were believed to return home. Today you are more likely to find this in ethnographic collections than in living practice.
A simple arrangement that lasts
If you want to tidy a grave but have neither the time nor the inclination for elaborate arranging, a simple approach works. First wipe the stone and remove fallen leaves – cleanliness alone accounts for half the impression.
Then add light. One lantern or two low candle holders are enough; more candles tend to look cluttered. Finally add greenery: conifer sprigs and heather last several weeks in November weather, while cut chrysanthemums succumb to the first frost. Those who travel and know they will not return before spring will appreciate this durability.
A small wooden decoration – a cross, a heart or a name plaque – works on graves without an inscription or where it has become illegible. Wood turns grey over time and blends in with its surroundings, which many people prefer to long-lasting plastic accessories.
A few words on why we go
All Souls' Day is one of the few days of the year when we allow ourselves to talk about death out loud. The rest of the year we tend to avoid it – which is exactly why it makes sense that there is a date that offers the opportunity without asking anyone for explanations.
A cemetery visit does not have to be heavy. Many people say they feel calmer afterwards rather than worse. There is something practical in it: tidying the grave, lighting a candle, standing for a while – these are concrete actions that give remembrance a shape. And a shape is something easier to work with than vague sadness.
If you lost someone this year and are going to the cemetery for the first time, you do not need to plan anything in advance. Coming, setting down a light and leaving is enough. Nobody measures how long you stayed.
How to choose something that lasts outdoors
If you want a candle holder or lantern to cope with November weather, a few things matter. The overview below summarises them.
| Feature | What to look out for |
|---|---|
| Flame protection | Glazed sides or a small roof – without them a candle will not survive the wind |
| Stability | A wide base so that neither wind nor uneven ground tips it over |
| Surface finish | Treatment with outdoor oil before and after the season |
| Candle type | Longer burn time – a pillar candle lasts longer than a tea light |
| Weight | A light piece is easier to carry, a heavier one stands up better to the weather |
Why wood
The choice of material is not marginal for All Souls' decorations. Cemeteries today are full of plastic – candle cups, artificial flowers, moulded ornaments. Most of it ends up in a skip after the season and is bought again the next year.
Wood behaves differently. It ages, turns grey and over time blends in with its surroundings rather than standing out. Many people like that – decorations that do not stay conspicuously new suit the place better than brightly coloured plastic.
There is a practical consideration too. You can take a wooden candle holder or lantern home and keep using it, which is impossible with disposable cups. One piece replaces several seasons of purchases and, over the years, becomes an object that naturally connects with the memory.
We make them in a sheltered workshop from wood from Czech forests. It is not an argument that should play the main role on this occasion – but for those who care where things come from, it is worth mentioning.
From our workshop
One last practical note: if you are going to a cemetery you have not visited for a long time, expect that finding the grave may take a while. Many municipal cemeteries have no map at the entrance, and finding your way from memory can be tricky. It pays to arrive a little before it gets completely dark.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly is All Souls' Day?
All Souls' Day, known in Czech as Dušičky, falls on 2 November. The day before, 1 November, is the Solemnity of All Saints. In practice, many families visit the cemetery on the weekend around these dates, as it is easier for those who have to travel.
Will a wooden candle holder last outdoors on a grave?
Wood is a natural material and will react to November weather. A piece treated with outdoor oil will last the season without problems, but in the long term we recommend taking the candle holder home after your visit. Many families do this deliberately – the candle holder then becomes part of the remembrance rather than a permanent fixture on the grave.
What do people put on a grave besides a candle?
Most often chrysanthemums, which bloom in the Czech Republic at exactly this time, as well as heather, conifer sprigs or a wreath of natural materials. But the choice is personal and there is no rule about what is right – some bring a single candle, others tidy the whole grave.
How do I explain All Souls' Day to children?
It helps to talk about remembering, not sadness. Children respond well when they have a specific task – lighting a candle, laying a flower, telling what they remember about the person. A cemetery visit then becomes a shared ritual rather than a frightening experience.
What if I have nowhere to go?
A place of remembrance at home works just as well. A shelf with a candle holder, a photograph and perhaps a small object that belonged to the person is enough. Lighting a candle at home on 2 November is not a substitute, just another form of the same thing.
What wooden products do you offer for this time of year?
In our sheltered workshop we make wooden candle holders and lanterns, crosses and other religious-themed products. Everything is handmade from Czech wood, and many pieces can be engraved with a name or date.
🕯️ Handmade from Czech wood. We make candle holders, lanterns and crosses in a sheltered workshop – piece by piece, with optional engraving of a name or date.
View religious-themed productsAuthor: Martin Portych – specialist in wooden products, gift advice and shop content
Editorial policy: Our content is based on the day-to-day practice of the AMADEA shop, the real needs of our customers and a commitment to clear, useful and trustworthy information.