By Tyron Devotta
Every year on the 2nd of November, a quiet yet deeply moving tradition unfolds at the General Cemetery in Borella. Families gather at the graveyard, candles flicker beside weathered tombstones, and prayers rise gently into the air. This is All Souls’ Day—a day of remembrance rooted not only in mourning the dead, but in celebrating the immortality of the soul.
For over half a century, A.F. Raymonds, Sri Lanka’s oldest and most respected undertaking firm, has played an integral part in these observances. The company, founded in 1885, has become synonymous with dignity in death and continuity in tradition. Since 1971, the Raymond family has organised the All Souls’ Day service at Borella’s Catholic section, a gesture that has grown into a ritual of remembrance.
“It’s not called Remembrance Day for a reason,” explains Shanon Raymond, the firm’s fourth-generation director. “In the West, there are days for remembering the dead, a very clinical term. But here as Catholics, we remember the soul, which is a reminder that it is immortal. It’s a more comforting way to remember our loved ones.”
From Tradition to Ritual
The first organised service at the Borella cemetery was initiated by Shanon’s father Aubrey Raymond in 1971, together with the late Fr. John Herath and Fr. Bertram Dabrera from the All Saint’s Church, Borella. What began as a modest Mass in the graveyard has since become a solemn annual service attended by over 2,000 people.
A.F. Raymonds handles everything; from preparing the altar and printing hymn sheets to arranging sound amplification for the services for those standing by distant graves. “People appreciate being able to follow the Mass while standing beside the grave of a loved one,” says Shanon. “It gives them a sense of connection, of praying for the soul where its mortal remains rest.”
Over the years, the Raymonds have infused the event with creativity and reverence. In 1985, marking the company’s centenary, they transformed the Borella chapel into a replica of the Tomb of Christ, with the altar fashioned from the stone that had “rolled away.”
“We make it meaningful,” says Shanon. “Every year, people return. I may not meet them at any other time, but I know I’ll see them at the cemetery on the 2nd of November.”
While All Souls’ Day is observed by Catholics worldwide, the Sri Lankan observance carries a distinctive warmth. The services are not confined to the Borella cemetery; similar services are held in Jawatte, Mount Lavinia, and Madampitiya, extending even to Kandy when the firm had a branch there.
The Sri Lankan All Souls’ Day feels communal, almost familial. The cemetery becomes a meeting place, where generations reconnect and faith bridges time and loss.
“We haven’t lost touch with tradition,” Shanon reflects. “We still believe that remembering the departed keeps them alive in our hearts. It’s part of being human, and part of being Sri Lankan.”
The All Souls’ Day service at Borella’s Catholic section
More Than Business, A Ministry of Care
A.F. Raymonds’ role in these rituals resonates with their broader philosophy of service. The firm has evolved alongside society’s changing needs, introducing funeral parlours in the 1980s, adapting to high-rise living, and modernising logistics while retaining traditions at its core.
Despite being in a profession few might choose by design, the Raymonds have sustained five generations of stewardship. “No one in our family has ever been forced into this business,” says Shanon. “Each generation has come in voluntarily, at their own time, because they wanted to be part of something that helps people at their most difficult times.”
“On this day, we pray not only for Catholic souls, but for all souls,” says Shanon. “Every human being has a soul, regardless of religion or culture and as Catholics believe in the immortality of the soul. Remembering the soul acknowledges life beyond death, it’s about love that doesn’t end.”
Catholics attending the All Souls' Day service
As the sun dips behind the trees of the Borella cemetery and candles begin to glow, the scene becomes timeless, a mosaic of faith, memory, and belonging. The scent of flowers mingles with the smell of melting wax, and somewhere between sorrow and serenity, the thought remains — what makes All Souls’ Day uniquely Sri Lankan is its humanity.
It is not just a day for the dead — it is a day for the living to remember, that love will transcend the grave.
