All Saints' Day in Senegal

A fixed date in Senegalese law

Senegal’s Law No. 74-52 of November 4, 1974 lists Toussaint among the country’s legal holidays and says legal holidays are non-working days. The law names the Monday after Sunday observances only for Korité and Tabaski; it does not provide a substitute Monday for Toussaint. A 2013 amendment added the Grand Magal of Touba and changed which holidays are explicitly paid, without changing the Toussaint listing.[1][2]

Toussaint is not among the holidays named in the amended law as both non-working and paid.[1][2]

Meaning and observance

For Senegalese Catholics, the day honors all saints, whether known or unknown. Senegal’s public broadcaster reports that the day also has a particular connection with prayer for the dead: although the Catholic commemoration of the faithful departed normally falls on November 2, cemetery visits in Senegal take place on the afternoon of November 1 to fit the calendar.[3]

Cemetery customs documented in Senegal include prayer and remembrance. In Ziguinchor, a Senegalese Press Agency report described Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions visiting cemeteries to pray for the dead; at the mixed cemetery of Santhiaba, tombs had been cleaned and painted, with flowers and candles placed there.[4] These reports document specific local observances, rather than a practice that can be assumed in every community across the country.

Practical effects

Because Toussaint is legally a non-working holiday, government offices are closed. Check with banks, shops and transport operators before making plans. Cemetery visits are documented in some places, including Ziguinchor.[1][4]