All Saints' Day

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"The Feast of All Saints" redirects here. For the 1979 novel by Anne Rice, see The Feast of All
Saints (novel).

All Saints' Day

Painting by Fra Angelico

Also called All Hallows

Roman Catholicism
Observed by
Eastern Orthodoxy

Anglicanism

various other Protestant denominations[1]

[2]

Liturgical Color White

Type Christian

Observances Church services

Date November 1st (Western Christianity)

Sunday after Pentecost (Eastern Christianity)

Frequency annual

Related to Halloween October 31st

All Souls' Day November 2nd

Day of the Dead November 2nd

Samhain November 1st
 All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows, Day of All the Saints,[3] Solemnity of All Saints,
[4]
 or Feast of All Saints[5] is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by the Roman Catholic Church of
Latin rite and various Protestant denominations, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown.
The liturgical celebration begins at Vespers on the evening of 31 October and ends at the close of 1
November. It is thus the day before All Souls' Day.
Hallowmas is another term for the feast, and was used by Shakespeare in this sense.[6][7] However, a
few recent writers have applied this term to the three days from 31 October to 2 November inclusive,
[8]
 as a synonym for the triduum of Hallowtide.[9]
In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in
Heaven. It is a national holidayin many historically Catholic countries. In the Catholic Church and
many Anglican churches, the next day specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not
yet been purified and reached Heaven. Christians who celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
do so in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the
"Church triumphant"), and the living (the "Church militant"). Other Christian traditions define,
remember and respond to the saints in different ways; for example, in the Bible and the Methodist
Church, the word "saints" refers to all Christians and therefore, on All Saints' Day, the Church
Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation, are honored and remembered.
[10]

In the British Isles, it is known that churches were already celebrating All Saints on 1 November at
the beginning of the 8th century to coincide or replace the Celtic festival of Samhain.[11][12][13] James
Frazer suggests that 1 November was chosen because it was the date of the Celtic festival of the
dead (Samhain) – the Celts had influenced their English neighbours, and English missionaries had
influenced the Germans. However, Ronald Hutton points out that, according to Óengus of Tallaght(d.
ca. 824), the 7th/8th century church in Ireland celebrated All Saints on 20 April. He suggests that 1
November date was a Germanic rather than a Celtic idea. [11]

Contents
  [hide] 

 1 In the East

 2 In the West
 3 Customs
 4 See also
 5 Notes
 6 References
 7 Further reading
 8 External links

In the East[edit]
The Eastern Orthodox Church of the Byzantine Tradition commemorate all saints collectively on the
first Sunday after Pentecost, All Saints' Sunday (Greek: Αγίων Πάντων,Agiōn Pantōn).
The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the 9th century, in the reign of the Byzantine
Emperor, Leo VI "the Wise" (886–911). His wife, Empress Theophano – commemorated on 16
December – lived a devout life. After her death in 893, [14] her husband built a church, intending to
dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to "All Saints", so that if
his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honoured whenever the feast was
celebrated.[15] According to tradition, it was Leo who expanded the feast from a commemoration of All
Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not.
This Sunday marks the close of the Paschal season. To the normal Sunday services are added
special scriptural readings and hymns to all the saints (known and unknown) from
the Pentecostarion.
In the late spring, the Sunday following Pentecost Saturday (50 days after Easter) is set aside as a
commemoration of all locally venerated saints, such as "All Saints of America", "All Saints of Mount
Athos", etc. The third Sunday after Pentecost may be observed for even more localised saints, such
as "All Saints of St. Petersburg", or for saints of a particular type, such as "New Martyrs of the
Turkish Yoke".
In addition to the Mondays mentioned above, Saturdays throughout the year are days for general
commemoration of all saints, and special hymns to all saints are chanted from the Octoechos.
The traditional Maronite feast in honour of all saints is celebrated on 1 November.

In the West[edit]
The Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day falls on 1 November, followed by All Souls' Day on 2
November, and is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.
In the early days the Christians were accustomed to solemnise the anniversary of a martyr's death
for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the 4th century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange
feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by the invitation
of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops of the province of Pontus. In the persecution of
Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to
each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for
all. The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a
common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John
Chrysostom (407). At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist were honoured by a special day. As
early as 411 there is in the Chaldean Calendar a "Commemoratio Confessorum" for the Friday after
Easter.[16]
On 13 May 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin
and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary;[16] the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad
Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. There is evidence that from the 5th to the 7th
centuries there existed in certain places and at sporadic intervals a feast date on 13 May to
celebrate the holy martyrs.[17] The origin of All Saints' Day cannot be traced with certainty, and it has
been observed on various days in different places. However, there are some who maintain the belief
that it has origins in the pagan observation of 13 May, the Feast of the Lemures, in which the
malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Liturgiologists base the idea that
this Lemuria festival was the origin of that of All Saints on their identical dates and on the similar
theme of "all the dead".[18]
The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741)
of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and
confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", [19] with the date moved
to 1 November and the 13 May feast suppressed.[20]
This fell on the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which had a theme similar to the Roman festival
of Lemuria, but which was also a harvest festival. The Irish, having celebrated Samhain in the past,
did not celebrate All Hallows Day on this 1 November date, as extant historical documents attest that
the celebration in Ireland took place in the spring: "...the Felire ofOengus and the Martyrology of
Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches [in Ireland] celebrated the feast of All Saints on 20
April."[21]
A November festival of all the saints was already widely celebrated on 1 November in the days
of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in 835, by a decree
of Louis the Pious, issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the
bishops",[19] which confirmed its celebration on 1 November. Theoctave was added by Pope Sixtus
IV (1471–1484).[19]
The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Anglican Church and in
many Lutheran churches.[19] In the Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden, it assumes a
role of general commemoration of the dead. In the Swedish calendar, the observance takes place on
the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November. In many Lutheran Churches, it is moved to the
first Sunday of November. In the Church of England it may be celebrated either on 1 November or
on the Sunday between 30 October and 5 November. It is also celebrated by other Protestants of
the English tradition, such as the United Church of Canada, the Methodist churches and
the Wesleyan Church.
Protestants generally regard all Christians as saints and if they observe All Saints Day at all they use
it to remember all Christians both past and present. In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day
is celebrated on the first Sunday in November. It is held, not only to remember Saints, but also to
remember all those who have died who were members of the local church congregation. In some
congregations, a candle is lit by the Acolyte as each person's name is called out by the clergy.
Prayers and responsive readings may accompany the event. Often, the names of those who have
died in the past year are affixed to a memorial plaque.
In many Lutheran churches, All Saints' Day is celebrated the Sunday after Reformation is celebrated
(the date for Reformation is October 31st, so Reformation Sunday is celebrated on or before 31
October). In most congregations, the festival is marked as an occasion to remember the dead. The
names of those who have died from the congregation within the last year are read during worship
and a bell is tolled, chime is played, and/or candle is lit for each name read. While the dead are
solemnly remembered during worship on All Saints' Sunday, the festival is ultimately a celebration of
Christ's victory over death. While the harsh realities of death are acknowledged, hope in the
Resurrection and our place in the "communion of saints" should always take centre stage.

Customs[edit]

All Saints' Day at a cemetery in Sanok – flowers and lit candles are placed to honour the memory of deceased
relatives. Poland, 1 November 2011

In Mexico, Guatemala, Portugal and Spain, offerings (Portuguese: oferendas, Spanish: ofrendas)

are made on this day. In Spain and Mexico the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed.
All Saints' Day in Mexico, coincides with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)
celebration. Known as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), it honors deceased children
and infants.
Portuguese children celebrate the Pão-por-Deus tradition (also called santorinho, bolinho or fiéis de
Deus) going door-to-door, where they receive cakes, nuts, pomegranates, sweets and candies. This
occurs all over Portugal.
Hallowmas in the Philippines is variously called "Undás", "Todos los Santos" (Spanish, "All Saints"),
and sometimes "Araw ng mga Patay / Yumao" (Tagalog, "Day of the dead / those who have passed
away"), which actually refers to the following day of All Souls' Day but includes it. Filipinos
traditionally observe this day by visiting the family dead to clean and repair their tombs. Offerings of
prayers, flowers, candles, and even food are made, while Chinese Filipinosadditionally
burn incense and kim. Many also spend the day and ensuing night holding reunions at the graves,
playing games and music, singing karaoke, and feasting.[22]
In Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, France, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg,
Malta, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and American cities such as New Orleans, people take
flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In some parts of Portugal, people also light candles in the
graves.
In Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Catholic parts of
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Serbia and Sweden, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives.
In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the
Saints" by Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine byRalph Vaughan
Williams. Another hymn that is popularly sung during corporate worship on this day is "I Sing a Song
of the Saints of God".

See also[edit]
 1755 Lisbon earthquake which occurred on this day and had a great effect on society and
philosophy
 Day of the Dead
 Dziady
 Irish calendar
 Litany of the Saints
 Veneration of the dead
 Pão-por-Deus

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ Marty, Martin E. (2007).  Lutheran questions, Lutheran answers: exploring
Christian faith. Minneapolis:  Augsburg Fortress. p.  127. ISBN 978-0-8066-5350-1. Retrieved2
November 2011.  All Lutherans celebrate All Saints Day, and many sing, 'For all the saints, who from
their labors rest…'
2. Jump up^ Willimon, William H. (2007). United Methodist Beliefs. Westminster John Knox
Press. p.  64. ISBN 9781611640618. Retrieved 30 October  2014.
3. Jump up^ St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco.  "Homily on the Feast of All Saints of
Russia".St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church.
4. Jump up^ Roman Missal
 5. Jump up^ The Anglican Service Book. Good Shepherd Press. 1 September 1991.
p. 677.ISBN 0962995509. Retrieved  3 November  2012.
6. Jump up^ "Shakespearian Glossary".
7. Jump up^ The Shakespeare Name Dictionary  (Routledge 2004 ISBN 978-1-13587571-8).
Retrieved 30 October  2014.
8. Jump up^ Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt (1 August 1998). Halloween: An American Holiday, an
American History. Pelican Publishing. p. 12.  ISBN  1565543467. Retrieved 1 November 2012.  The
Church brought its saints' celebrations to every new land it conquered. The celebrations on the eve of
All Saints, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (the three were referred to as Hallowmas) spread
throughout Europe. From the  British Isles  to  France  to  Poland andItaly, the religious remembrance of
the ancestral dead became an annual celebration of major importance.
9. Jump up^ Leslie, Frank (1895). Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly. Allhallowtide  (Frank Leslie
Publishing House). p.  539. Retrieved 9 April 2014.  Just as the term "Eastertide" expresses for us the
whole of the church services and ancient customs attached to the festival of Easter, from Palm
Sunday until Easter Monday, so does All-hallowtide include for us all the various customs, obsolete
and still observed, of Halloween, All Saints' and All Souls' Days. From the 31st of October until the
morning of the 3d of November, this period of three days, known as All-hallowtide, is full of traditional
and legendary lore.
10. Jump up^ The Rev. J. Richard Peck (2011). "Do United Methodists believe in saints?". The
United Methodist Church. Retrieved  31 October 2011.  We also recognize and celebrate All Saints'
Day (Nov. 1) and "all the saints who from their labors rest". United Methodists call people "saints"
because they exemplified the Christian life. In this sense, every Christian can be considered a saint.
11. ^ Jump up to:a b Hutton, p.364
12. Jump up^ Pseudo-Bede, Homiliae subdititiae; John Hennig, 'The Meaning of All the
Saints',Mediaeval Studies 10 (1948), 147–161.
13. Jump up^ "All Saints Day," The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd edition, ed. E.
A. Livingstone (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 41–42; The New Catholic
Encyclopedia, eo.loc.
14. Jump up^ The date in Vita Euthymii, not printed until 1888 "makes it seem practically (though
not absolutely) certain that she died on 10 Nov. 893".(Downey 1956, pp. 301–305)
15. Jump up^ Downey 1956, pp. 301–305.
16. ^ Jump up to:a b "Mershman, Francis. "All Saints' Day." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New
York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 2 Mar. 2014". Retrieved  30 October 2014.
17. Jump up^ C. Smith The New Catholic Encyclopedia 1967: s.v. "Feast of All Saints", p. 318.
18. Jump up^ For example, Violet Alford ("The Cat Saint", Folklore 52.3 [September 1941:161–
183] p. The FRench celebtrate it.181 note 56) observes that "Saints were often confounded with
the Lares or Dead. Repasts for both were prepared in early Christian times, and All Saints' Day was
transferred in 835 to November 1st from one of the days in May which were the old Lemuralia"; Alford
notes Pierre Saintyves, Les saints successeurs des dieux, Paris 1906 (sic, i.e. 1907).
19. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Chisholm 1911.
20. Jump up^ "All Saints' Day", The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd edition, ed. E.
A. Livingstone (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 41–42; The New Catholic
Encyclopedia, eo.loc.
21. Jump up^ Hutton, Ronald  (1996). Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain.
New York: Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN 0-19-285448-8.
22. Jump up^ "2011 Business Mirror – Government bans sharp instruments and guns during All
saints day".

References[edit]
 Glanville, Downey (1956). "The Church of All Saints (Church of St. Theophano) near the
Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople". Dumbarton Oaks Papers 9/10: 301–305.
Attribution

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm,

Hugh, ed. (1911). "All Saints, Festival of". Encyclopædia Britannica 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge
University Press.

Further reading[edit]
 Langgärtner, Georg. "All Saints' Day". In The Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by Erwin
Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, 41. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,
1999. ISBN 0802824137.

External links[edit]
 All Saints and All Souls Day American Catholic
 All Saints Sunday Orthodox England