All Saints’ Day

All Saints' Day

In Western Christianity, it is still celebrated on 1 November by the Roman Catholic Church as well as many Protestant churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic and Byzantine Lutheran churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In Methodist theology, All Saints Day revolves around giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints.

About All Saints’ Day in brief

Summary All Saints' DayAll Saints’ Day, also known as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In Western Christianity, it is still celebrated on 1 November by the Roman Catholic Church as well as many Protestant churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic and Byzantine Lutheran churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In Methodist theology, All Saints Day revolves around giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints, including those who are famous or obscure. In Austria and Germany, godparents gift their godchildren Allerheiligenstriezel on All Saint’s Day, while the practice of souling remains popular in Portugal. It is a national holiday in many Christian countries. The Christian celebration of Allaints’ Day and All Souls’ Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven, and the living. In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In the Anglican Communion, the holiday extends to Remembrance Sunday. In some denominations, such as Anglicanism, it also extends to remembrance of the dead on Remembrance Day. In places where All Saints’ Day is observed as a public holiday but All Souls’ day is not, cemetery and grave rituals such as offerings of flowers, candles and prayers or blessings for the graves of loved ones often take place on Allaints Day.

It was chosen by the Pope and earlier Christians in Edessa—because it was the date of the pagan festival of Lemuria, in which the male spirits of thedead were propitiated. Some sources say the idea is base on the idea that Lemuria was the origin of All Saints and St Peter’s oratory in St Peter’s Square, which is dedicated to the holy relics of all saints, just made perfect at the rest of the world. Some liturgiologists say that this idea is based on the fact that the dead are just madeperfect at the world, and all saints are at rest at the end of their days. The day is currently a Solemnity in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, a Festival in the Lutheran Churches, and a Principal Feast of the AnglicAN Communion. The Church of the East and associated East Catholic churches celebrate All Saints’ day on the second Friday after Easter. It has been celebrated since the 4th century, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, an anniversary of the dedication of Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres celebrated at Rome since 610. The feast was held on 13 May inEdessa, the Sunday afterpentecost in Antioch, and the Friday of Easter by the Syrians. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast on the 1st November, the same day as the feast of St Peter and St Paul in the Church of England.