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Nov. 1 has different meanings in different places and different cultures.
It may be Dia de los Muertos in Mexico or for those of Mexican heritage. The Day of the Dead is a time to remember the loved ones who have passed.
It is also All Saints Day for Catholics, followed by All Souls on Nov. 2.
Across cultures and faiths, these traditions offer ways to remember and honor loved ones who have died.
Halloween grew out of the Celtic Samhain. Jewish observances come at major holidays and on the anniversary of a death. Various Asian traditions hold their festivals from August to October.
These traditions remind us of the importance of remembering those we've lost. And 2026 has brought the deaths of many familiar faces. Catherine O'Hara in January. Robert Duvall in February. Sam Neill in July.
Since August, the blows have been brutal. Dolly Parton. Tim Curry. Gloria Steinem. In the past week, it was Susan Saint James, Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart.
Some of these hurt like a punch. It will hurt for a while. How will we get through Christmas without O'Hara as the mom we love in "Home Alone?" It's doubtful "Rocky Horror Picture Show" has ever made someone cry -- until you watch knowing Curry is gone. Check on your Star Trek fans. They are not OK.
And in Pittsburgh, the blow hit close and hard. Musician and local legend Donnie Iris succumbed to bladder cancer. We cannot count how many times talking about "Dawnnie's" appearances brought a smile to our newsroom.
That is what makes these celebrations so universal.
Remembering the people we have lost does not have to be solemn. It does not have to be sad. It can brighten the darkness to bring the light of their memories back to us.
So whatever your tradition is, remember someone who made a mark on your life. Put on "Steel Magnolias." (Parton was in it with Tom Skerritt, who also passed in October.) Watch "Jurassic Park."
And play some of that funky, hometown Iris music.