On All Saint's Day people visit the cemeteries and light candles. It is a day of remembrance of the dead. The graves of the beloved ones are specially cared for and decorated with fresh flowers. The candles and lights on the graves symbolize the "Eternal Light" and the "Soul Light".
In some regions wreaths are sunk in the water for the drowned, for example in the Danube. Crosses are placed on the roadsides for people who died in a motoring accident. Those places are also often decorated with flowers and candles.
All Saint's Day is a public holiday in Austria.
The glow and warmth in this are beautiful. There are equivalents of this festival in many religions and cultures, I believe. There's a great feeling of peace and reverence in this which, for me sums up the occasion (although I am not of any religious faith). Fav
@dulciknit Thank you, dear Alison, for your beautiful lines! Yes, certainly there are special rites in all cultures, commemorating the dead. Peace and reverence - that is common to all; and should be something connecting to all people in this world, whether with or without confession.
It is a fixed ritual in Austria to decorate the graves and light candles on All Saints' Day.