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Saint Jude Thaddeus in one minute
On November 1, the Church celebrates All Saints' Day, and on November 2, the Day of the Faithful Departed. These are two days to remember those who are no longer with us, and every corner of Spain and Latin America observes them in its own way.
In Spain
- Visiting the cemetery to clean and bring flowers to family graves: chrysanthemums, carnations, roses.
- Traditional sweets: marzipan huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento in Madrid and much of the country; panellets in Catalonia.
- Don Juan Tenorio: Zorrilla's play, set on All Souls' Eve, is still performed in many theaters and towns around these dates.
- Magostos in Galicia and northern Spain: roasted chestnuts around a fire.
In Mexico: Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, is a celebration full of color. Families set up altars with photographs of their deceased loved ones, candles, papel picado, sugar skulls, pan de muerto, and their favorite foods. According to tradition, paths of orange cempasúchil petals guide the souls back home.
In other countries
- Guatemala: fiambre, a cold dish with dozens of ingredients, and the giant kites of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez.
- Ecuador: colada morada and pan de guagua.
- Bolivia and Peru: tables with figure-shaped breads, tantawawas.
An idea: the Saint Jude Thaddeus medal
A few days earlier, on October 28, Mexico celebrates Saint Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of difficult causes. Our medal unites him with Our Lady of Guadalupe, as is customary there.
You can see all the styles in our collection of Saint Jude Thaddeus medals.
Multicolor with Guadalupe
With natural pearl
With tiger's eye
Blue enamel and pearl
Rubies and sapphires
Facts you can check
- The image of Saint Jude from the San Hipólito church in Mexico City was brought by Claretian missionaries from Barcelona in 1933. It has been in San Hipólito since the 1960s. Source
- In 2024, a relic of the saint, the bone of an arm, traveled across Mexico. About 22 million people went to venerate it. Source
- Jude Thaddeus was one of the twelve apostles. At the Last Supper, he asked Jesus: “Lord, what must happen before you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?” (Jn 14:22). Source
Keep your loved ones close
Many people wear a medal that belonged to a grandmother or mother, or that was given to them in their memory. It is a simple way to keep those who are no longer with us close. A cross or Our Lady of Guadalupe is most often chosen for this gesture:
If you like Our Lady of Guadalupe, here are all our Our Lady of Guadalupe medals, handcrafted in Spain.
We share why we never go out without a medal in 10 reasons to wear a religious medal, and our own story in Our Story: Two Sisters Between Madrid and New York.
Marian and Bárbara