November 1, 2021 - All Saints' Day 2021 - a look at how Croatia honors all Catholic saints on November 1. 

Today is All Saints' Day, a holiday where the Catholic Church celebrates all the canonized, as well as the saints who have achieved the ideal of the Christian life and have not been canonized, reports Jutarnji List.

All Saints' Day is traditionally celebrated on November 1, a national holiday in the Republic of Croatia.

The church liturgy emphasizes that the center of the feast of All Saints is not death but life. God calls all people of all nations and all times into the eternal communion of his love. Christ is the redeemer of all men, and God calls them all to be holy.

Zagreb today | Sanjin Strukic/PIXSELL

The worship of the tombs of the saints was known in Judaism, and then two tombs were important: the prophet Isaiah near the pond of Siloam and Zechariah in the Kidron Valley.

With Christianity, the day of death began to be called the day of heavenly birth, which they especially applied to the dates of the deaths of their martyrs. Their worship developed as early as the 2nd century.

Christians first celebrated the martyrs in particular, and over time ascetics, consecrated virgins, and bishops were highlighted as special testimonies of the faith. But, as it is understood today, the notion of saints and canonization can be spoken of only from the 10th century. The first official canonization took place in 993, during the reign of Pope John XV, and the first canonized saint was St. Ulrich.

Zagreb today | Sanjin Strukic/PIXSELL

According to the Second Vatican Council, the veneration of saints stems from the lasting connection between the earthly and heavenly Churches - members of each other, albeit in different degrees and ways, share the same love for God and neighbor, and sing the same song of praise to their God.

All Souls Day is celebrated every year on November 2, when we remember all our deceased. On that day, visits to graves and cemeteries are a sign of attention and faith. On that day, people pray for the souls of their dear deceased, light candles on their graves, and attend Holy Mass, thus connecting with their prayers and begging the mercy of God to cleanse them as soon as possible of all weaknesses and to bring them "where every tear disappears from the eye."

All Souls Day, or the Day of the Dead, expresses hope and faith in the afterlife.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, October 31, 2020 - Defence Minister Mario Banozic on Saturday laid a wreath and lit a candle at the Homeland War Victims Memorial Cemetery in Vukovar on the occasion of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

He also paid his respects to the victims at the Ovcara memorial and in Bogdanovci.

Banozic said it was with pride and dignity that he was paying his respects to the defenders and all those who gave their lives for free and democratic Croatia as well as to the suffering of Vukovar in the Homeland War.

"Vukovar meant everything for Croatia and today it is a symbol of the heroism and resistance in the Homeland War. We are paying deep respects to the victims of Vukovar as well as the victims of Bogdanovci who gave an immense contribution to the creation of peace and freedom in Croatia. In thought, we are with the families of the killed, missing and dead Croatian defenders. Once again, an immense thank-you for all you did," the minister said.

He was joined by War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, representatives of the Interior Ministry, the army and Vukovar-Srijem County, and the last commander of Vukovar's defence, Branko Borkovic, the Defence Ministry said in a press release.

November 2, 2019 - Croatia marked All Saints Day on November 1 by heading to the cemeteries to honor those who are no longer with us. A look at how the holiday was marked across Dalmatia.

You might have noticed that on Friday, much of Croatia came to a halt to mark All Saints Day, observed as a national holiday in the country. It is a day where people across the country flock to cemeteries to light candles, lay flowers, and pay respect to the loved ones lost. 

It is a holiday where bus lines are rerouted to facilitate travel for those going to the cemetery, where taxi companies will offer discounted or free fares, and where many of the nation's largest shopping malls will close their doors.

Even a few days before the holiday, you'll notice locals heading to flower sellers lined along the streets, or to commercial supermarkets, to beat the rush and ensure they have the best bouquet to honor the dead. 

As you can imagine, the images from November 1 are anything but bleak - and CroDrone captured just how colorful the holiday is across Croatia. 

Check out how All Saints Day looked in Imotski, Imotski Poljice, Split, Runovici, Zagvozd, and Dugopolje in Dalmatia.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Due to the All Saints Day, from Saturday, October 28 until November 2, special regulation of traffic in Zagreb will be in effect.

Croatia annually imports 1376 tons of flowers, worth 7.44 million euros, while at the same time they only exported 152 tons, worth 960,000 euros, reports Dalmacija News.