| Totensonntag | |
|---|---|
 A congregation of theUnited States–based denominationEvangelical and Reformed Church observing Totensonntag by lightingvotive candles in memory of the faithful departed | |
| Also called | Ewigkeitssonntag Totenfest |
| Observed by | Lutherans andReformed in Germany |
| Significance | Remembrance of the Faithful Departed |
| Observances | church services,praying for the dead, lightingvotive candles, visitingcemeteries andgraveyards[1] |
| Date | First Advent Sunday – 7 days |
| Related to | Allhallowtide,Advent |
Totensonntag (German:[ˈtoːtn̩zɔntaːk]ⓘ, Sunday of the Dead), also calledEwigkeitssonntag (Eternity Sunday) orTotenfest, is aProtestant religious holiday inGermany andSwitzerland, commemorating the faithful departed. It falls on the last Sunday of theliturgical year in theProtestant Church in Germany and theProtestant Church in the Netherlands.
With development of the liturgical year in the Middle Ages, readings on the last things were connected with the last Sundays of the liturgal year. While on the antepenultimate Sunday the focus is on death, the penultimate Sunday has the topic Last Judgment and the lastEternal Life. Traditionally, the last Sunday of the liturgical year deals in a special way with the expectation ofJudgment Day. The Gospel is that ofParable of the Ten Virgins.
In 1816, KingFrederick William III of Prussia issued a decree that required all Lutheran churches in the areas underPrussian rule to observe the last Sunday beforeAdvent as a "general celebration in memorial of the deceased".[2] Other Lutheran churches in the remainder ofGermany followed, eventually, as well.
In the United States, some Protestant churches celebrate this service of remembrance asTotenfest.[3]
Totensonntag is particularly protected in all German federal states. The public holiday laws of all federal states determine Totensonntag as a day of mourning and remembrance or as a so-called "silent day", for which special restrictions apply.[4]
In theRoman Catholic Church, the last sunday of theliturgical year is celebrated asSolemnity of Christ the King. The feast emphasizes the rule of Christ in eternity and shows parallels toEternity Sunday. English Lutheran churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary also celebrate Christ the King Sunday. In the Catholic tradition, the faithful departed are remembered onAll Souls' Day.
Totensonntag was an occasion for remembering and praying for the dead and was celebrated by attending church services and making cemetery pilgrimages.
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