All Souls’ Day in Bolivia
Bolivia observes All Souls’ Day on November 2 as a national public holiday called Día de Todos los Difuntos. The day combines remembrance of the dead with family offerings, including mast’aku tables prepared to welcome deceased relatives.[1][2]
A national day off
Bolivia’s Decreto Supremo N° 2750 lists November 2 as Día de Todos los Difuntos, a national holiday with suspension of public and private activities. This gives workers a day off across the country under the decree’s terms.[1]
The decree’s general rule moves Sunday holidays to the following Monday but expressly excludes All Souls’ Day from that automatic transfer. The date remains November 2; any separate change to a particular year’s holiday would need to be confirmed through an official announcement.[1]
Meaning and background
The holiday falls within the Christian calendar’s commemoration of the faithful departed. A Bolivian theologian writing about Christian culture describes how, particularly in the Andean region, Christian belief and an Andean religious worldview meet in the understanding that the dead remain connected to the living.[2]
In this account, many people believe that deceased relatives return around the observance. The belief helps explain why remembrance can take the form of welcoming and sharing with the dead, alongside prayer for them.[2]
Mast’aku offerings
A mast’aku is an offering table prepared to receive deceased relatives or friends. A Bolivian university describes tables with food, drinks, flowers and tantawawas, and says families may include a name, photograph or keepsake associated with the person being remembered.[3]
There is no single required arrangement: the university account says the meaning of the objects matters and that a table may include things the honored person would recognize. A theologian also describes mast’aku tables in homes and cemeteries, adorned with food.[2][3]
A family observance
The customs described by these sources focus on remembering and welcoming the dead through offerings, rather than on one nationally uniform ceremony. The sources document Andean customs and a university’s account of a practice presented as traditional nationally, but do not establish that every family or region observes the day in the same way.[2][3]
What to expect
Government offices and workplaces close under the suspension of public and private activities. Shops, banks and transport services set their own hours, so check with providers before making plans.[1]
Frequently asked questions
When is All Souls’ Day in Bolivia?
It is observed every year on November 2, under the legal name Día de Todos los Difuntos.[1]
Is it a public holiday?
Yes. The decree lists it as a national holiday with suspension of public and private activities.[1]
Does the day off move to Monday if November 2 is a Sunday?
The decree’s automatic Monday-transfer rule expressly excludes All Souls’ Day. Check official announcements for any separate decision affecting a particular year.[1]
What is a mast’aku?
It is an offering table prepared to welcome a deceased relative or friend. Described items include food, drinks, flowers and tantawawas, along with personal reminders such as a photograph or keepsake.[3]
Are shops and transport services open?
Shops and transport services set their own hours, so check with each provider before travelling or visiting.
Sources and references
Sources used for All Souls' Day in Bolivia:
- DECRETO SUPREMO N° 2750 (feriados nacionales)- Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
- Aporte del calendario cristiano a nuestros pueblos- yachay, Universidad Católica Boliviana
- La carrera de Trabajo Social armó y explicó el significado del Mast´aku o mesa de Todos Santos- Universidad Central (UNICEN), Bolivia