When is All Souls’ Day?
In 2026, All Souls’ Day falls on Monday, November 2, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of All Souls’ Day
All Souls’ Day is the November 2 Christian commemoration of the faithful departed, historically prominent in Catholic calendars and transmitted partly through Portuguese Catholic institutions. Prayer for the dead, cemetery visits and family remembrance may matter to Catholic households, while Protestant, Muslim, traditional-religion and non-religious communities have their own understandings.
Decree 1/2023 does not place November 2 among mandatory holidays. Article 2 grants a service dispensation to central and local public administration, public institutes and public enterprises. In a plural, constitutionally secular state, church or cemetery activity does not imply nationwide private-sector closure.
All Souls’ Day is not one of Decree 1/2023’s eight mandatory holidays. Article 2 instead grants a service dispensation to central and local public administration, public institutes and public enterprises. It does not itself create general private-sector paid leave or an automatic weekend substitute; any broader annual closure must appear in a current ministry notice.
How All Souls’ Day is observed
Public-service dispensation on Monday, November 2, 2026; not a mandatory national holiday for all workers. Current government notices, employer policies and local schedules in Guinea-Bissau should be checked for closures, substitute dates and public-service arrangements.
Traditions of All Souls’ Day
Community practice
Catholic families may attend Mass, pray for deceased relatives, clean graves or bring flowers where these belong to their household practice.
Public or religious programme
Parishes and cemetery authorities may publish services, visiting times or maintenance arrangements; other communities remember the dead differently.
Planning the date
Public bodies named in article 2 receive the dispensation, while private businesses may follow ordinary Monday schedules. Travel, markets and public events follow local patterns, while opening hours depend on the holiday’s legal scope and current official guidance.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Guinea-Bissau cultural, civic or religious guidance. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Guinea-Bissau may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: INSS Guinea-Bissau: Labour Code approved by Law 7/2022, Official Gazette: Decree 1/2023 on mandatory national holidays, National People’s Assembly: Constitution of Guinea-Bissau, National People’s Assembly: history of Guinea-Bissau, United Nations: record of the September 24, 1973 proclamation, United Nations: Guinea-Bissau member-state profile, U.S. Office of the Historian: contemporary record of Amílcar Cabral’s assassination, UNFPA Guinea-Bissau: International Women’s Day programme, International Labour Organization: May Day and labour solidarity, Guinea News Agency: 2026 carnival programme, ISCTE: research on carnival and Guinean identity, 2026 ministry notice reproduced by Fala de Papagaio: Good Friday and Easter, 2026 government notice reproduced by Conosaba: Korité, 2026 ministry notice reproduced by Fala de Papagaio: Tabaski, Guinea News Agency: Tabaski 2026 in Bolama/Bijagós, Guinea-Bissau Red Cross: Tabaski aid in 2026, VOA Português: holidays removed by Decree 1/2023, RTP/Lusa: Freedom Fighters’ Day commemoration in 2025, Encyclopaedia Britannica: the Christian liturgical year.
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