All Saints’ Day in Belgium
All Saints’ Day, or Allerheiligen in Dutch and la Toussaint in French, is a Belgian statutory public holiday observed on 1 November. It is a Christian feast honoring the saints, while remembrance of deceased relatives is especially associated with the closely following All Souls’ Day.[1][2][3]
A fixed date and a public holiday
Belgium includes 1 November among its ten statutory public holidays. The employment rules apply to the private sector: in principle, workers are not employed on the holiday and receive their normal pay for the day. Work is permitted in sectors where Sunday work is allowed; workers who work then are entitled to compensatory rest under the applicable rules.[1][2]
When a public holiday falls on a Sunday or a usual day of inactivity at a workplace, Belgian rules call for a substitute rest day on an ordinary working day. The workplace’s joint committee or other applicable agreement sets the day; if no arrangement is made through those channels, the first ordinary working day that follows is used.[1]
The feast and its meaning
The feast honors saints collectively, including those without an individual feast day. A Belgian Catholic parish account describes the saints as examples of Christian life and distinguishes their commemoration from the remembrance of all the dead.[3]
All Saints’ Day belongs to the wider Christian calendar. The Catholic Encyclopedia traces the Western observance of 1 November to Pope Gregory III, who assigned that date to a chapel dedicated to all the saints in Rome; Pope Gregory IV later extended the celebration across the Church.[4]
Church services and remembrance
Belgian observances include church celebrations, but local schedules and customs vary. A Belgian parish account describes All Saints and All Souls as related but distinct: All Saints focuses on the saints, while All Souls turns more directly to the deceased.[3]
The same parish describes prayers for people who died during the past year, cemetery visits, cleaning graves, lighting candles and placing chrysanthemums as customs associated with All Souls and the opening days of November. These practices help explain why remembrance of relatives is visible around the holiday, though they should not be taken as a rule followed by every family or community.[3]
Planning for the day
The public-holiday rules do not establish that every shop must close. Belgium’s Federal Public Service Economy says most shops may open seven days a week under general opening-hour rules, with exceptions and local conditions. Individual shops can set their own holiday hours, so check directly before travelling.[5]
Check opening hours with banks and public offices, and check the timetable with your transport operator. The statutory public-holiday rules apply to the private sector; public-sector arrangements are governed separately.[1][2]
Frequently asked questions
Do workers get the day off?
What happens if it falls on a Sunday or a usual non-working day?
The holiday must be replaced by a rest day on an ordinary working day. The applicable workplace agreement determines the substitute day; if no arrangement is made, the first ordinary working day that follows applies.[1]
Are shops open?
There is no blanket rule in the cited sources requiring shops to close for this holiday. Most shops may open seven days a week under general retail rules, but individual holiday hours vary, so check ahead.[5]
Is All Saints’ Day the same as All Souls’ Day?
No. The Belgian parish source distinguishes All Saints, which honors the saints, from All Souls, which focuses more directly on the deceased.[3]
Sources and references
Sources used for All Saints' Day in Belgium:
- Public holidays- Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue
- Feestdagen- Belgium.be
- Allerheiligen en Allerzielen, de heiligen ons voorgegaan- Heilige Laurentiusparochie Lokeren-Moerbeke, via Kerknet
- All Saints’ Day- The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent
- Closing times and weekly rest day for retail trade- Federal Public Service Economy