As we come to the end of November, so do we also come to the end of the different beliefs
attached to the month. Some Christian denominations and the African Traditional Religion
who many have parallel beliefs seem to converge though in a different way on the sacredness
of the month. New Ziana sought the divergent views of people regarding November.
The Catholic Church dedicates the month of November to praying for the dead. The month
begins by remembering All Saints on November 1 and All Souls on November 2.
There are also other churches who celebrate November 2, such as Anglicans and Lutherans.
Initially many Protestant reformers rejected All Souls Day because of the lack of theology
behind it but is now celebrated in many Protestant communities.
On this day the faithful departed are remembered and prayed for. Death is painful and can
awaken feelings that are powerful, changing and compelling. The experience of death hurts
and invites Christians to imagine the afterlife, the longing to be with the divine and to enter
into a new experience. On this day Christians are faced with the mystery of death and they
are reminded of the promise of resurrection and eternal life.
Among traditionalists, November is observed strictly with all forms of traditional gatherings
and ceremonies such as weddings, roora/lobola processes and biras (traditional galas)
suspended and those disregarding the sanctity of the month are said to eventually encounter
misfortunes.
In short, nothing happens on the cultural front during the month of November as it is said the
ancestors are on vacation, contrary to what the proliferation of other religious practices have
brought in the current era.
Traditionalists concur that during this month the spiritual realm will be resting. Although
many people in this country have chosen Christianity, few have dared to celebrate their
lifetime achievements during this month for fear of offending the occasion and the
consequences that might visit them.
Catholics dedicate the month of November as the month for the dead. Speaking to different
Christians about their views concerning the month of November, Catholic Priest Father
Vusumuzi Ndlovu in a telephone interview said: “November traditionally in the church is the
month of those who have passed on especially the souls in purgatory, those who died in grace
but who failed in this life to make satisfaction for all their sins. We remember them, we
celebrate Masses for them and also we remember the saints who intercede for us.
“It is related to the fact that the end of November is the end of the Liturgical Year with a new
year starting the First Sunday of Advent – the four-week period of preparation before
Christmas.
“I learnt that in November there shouldn’t be any celebration because it is the month of
remembering the dead”.

However, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Rev Wilfred Dimingu,
said: “November is taken as any other month. Biblically, there is nothing spiritual or taboo
about November. It was just culturally declared sacred but biblically it has no sacredness thus
all Christians who believe and subscribe to the Bible take it like any other month. It depends
with the people, if one comes and says l want to get married in November we go ahead
because nothing can stop that.”
To buttress the view, Rev Dr Eliot of the Methodist Church said: “Last week but one (in
November) l was called for a wedding as a wedding officer nothing was said of it and I
officiated. As for our church there is no problem to perform a function.
“The challenge which can be there is that we live in an extended family. When family
members want the date to be changed I should not question them.
“If my other family members say if you want to do a function in November go ahead without
us then people reconsider. I cannot arrange a function where my family members can’t come
but in changing the date it doesn’t mean I have changed because I believe in the sacredness of
the month of November. It’s because I have an extended family (that I will need to consider)”
He gave the words of John Samuel Mbiti, a Kenyan Christian philosopher, showing the
importance of extended family which he said cannot be ignored.
“This means that l have not changed my Christianity but family emphasises togetherness. It’s
not good to arrange the function and others do not come. I am, because we are; and since we
are therefore I am”.
Apostle Aaron Chavani of Heart of Healing Ministries International said: “November is taken
as any other month and celebrations take place. There is no taboo and as long as one member
of the church wants a wedding, the feast takes place.”
All human civilisations have their own careful prescriptions regarding the dead — how to
honour or pacify them, how to be kept apart from their physical corruption. For Christians,
though, extending charity beyond the grave is an imitation of Christ’s mercy, which reached
out to all even when they were spiritually dead.
Burying the dead is one of the seven corporal works of mercy, but it is also a sign of hope in
Christ’s promise. The bodies of the dead are not discarded vessels, but integral parts of a
human being that will be reunited on the last day. The separation is temporary, and they are
still worthy of respect and love. So long the month of November!