{{Short description|Christian feast day}} {{Redirect-multi|2|The Feast of All Saints|All Saints'|the 1978 novel by Anne Rice|The Feast of All Saints (novel)|other uses|All Saints (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}} {{Infobox holiday | holiday_name = All Saints' Day | type = Christian | image = | imagesize = 300px | caption = All Saints' Day (in Hungarian: ''Mindenszentek napja'') in [[Hungary]] | nickname = All Hallows' Day<br />Hallowmas<br />Allhallowmas<br />Feast of All Saints<br />Feast of All Hallows<br />Solemnity of All Saints | observedby = {{Plainlist| * [[Catholic Church]] * [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] * [[Oriental Orthodox Church]] * [[Lutheran Church]]es<ref>{{cite book |last=Marty |first=Martin E. |title=Lutheran questions, Lutheran answers: exploring Christian faith |year=2007 |publisher=[[Augsburg Fortress]] |location=Minneapolis |isbn=978-0806653501 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPRSDFqD-fwC&pg=PA127|author-link=Martin E. Marty |quote=All Lutherans celebrate All Saints Day, and many sing, 'For all the saints, who from their labors rest…' |page=127}}</ref> * [[Anglican Communion]] * [[Methodist Church]]es<ref>{{cite book |author=Willimon, William H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCRga-tv8U4C&q=Saints+%2B+Methodism&pg=PA64 |title=United Methodist Beliefs |page=64 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1611640618 }}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://www.umc.org/en/content/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved |title=All Saints Day: A holy day John Wesley loved |last=Iovino |first=Joe |date=28 October 2015 |website=umc.org |publisher=The United Methodist Church |access-date=7 October 2023 |quote=}}<br/>{{cite book | last=Johnson | first=M.E. | title=Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year | publisher=Liturgical Press | series=A Pueblo book | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-8146-6025-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mx97I4mjDkYC&pg=PA410 | access-date=2023-10-07}}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/ways-to-remember-the-lives-and-work-of-church-saints#:~:text=On%20All%20Saints%20Day%2C%20United,lives%20have%20had%20on%20us. |title=Ways to remember the lives and work of church saints |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=ResourceUMC.org |publisher=United Methodist Church |access-date=7 October 2023 |quote=}}</ref> *[[Church of the Nazarene]] * [[Reformed Church]]es * [[Philippine Independent Church]] * Other Christian denominations }} | litcolor = White (Western Christianity)<br>Green (Eastern Christianity) | date = [[November 1|1 November]] (Western Christianity)<br />Sunday after Pentecost (Eastern Christianity) | celebrations = | duration = 1 day | frequency = Annual | observances = Church services, praying for the dead, visiting cemeteries | relatedto = {{Plainlist| * [[Allhallowtide]] * [[Halloween]] * [[All Souls' Day]] * [[Day of the Dead]] * [[Totensonntag]] }} | alt = | official_name = | significance = | begins = | ends = | weekday = | month = | scheduling = | firsttime = | startedby = }}
'''All Saints' Day'''{{efn|also known as '''All Hallows' Day''',<ref name="Hopwood2019"/> the '''Feast of All Saints''',<ref>{{cite book |date=1991| title=The Anglican Service Book |url=https://archive.org/details/anglicanserviceb0000unse/page/677/ |publisher=Good Shepherd Press |isbn=978-0962995507 |page=677}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco|author-link=St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco|title=Homily on the Feast of All Saints of Russia|url=http://www.russianorthodox-stl.org/all_saints_russia.html|website=St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church|access-date=6 May 2015|archive-date=4 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404195845/https://www.russianorthodox-stl.org/all_saints_russia.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the '''Feast of All Hallows''',<ref name="Illes2011">{{cite book |last1=Illes |first1=Judika |title=Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else! |date=11 October 2011 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0-06-209854-2 |language=English |quote=The Feast of All Saints is officially called the Solemnity of All Saints. Other names for this feast include the Feast of All Hallows and Hallowmas.}}</ref> the '''Solemnity of All Saints''',<ref name="Illes2011"/> and '''Hallowmas''',<ref name="Illes2011"/><ref name="Crain2021"/>}} is a [[Christianity|Christian]] holy day celebrated in honour of all the [[saint]]s of the Church, whether they are known or unknown.<ref name="Crain2021"/><ref name="George2021">{{cite web |title=All Saints' Day |url=https://www.stgeorgesdc.org/new-events/all-saints-day |publisher=Saint George's Episcopal Church |access-date=29 October 2021 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |language=English |quote=All Saints' Day also called All Hallows, Hallowmas, and Feast of All Saints is held on November 1 each year and celebrates and honors all the Saints especially the Saints who are not honored on other days of the year. The day is preceded by All Saints' Eve (Halloween) the night before and then the day after followed by [[All Souls' Day]]. The 3 days together represent the Allhallowtide triduum (religious observance lasting 3 days) as a time to reflect and remember the saints, martyrs, and the faithful who have died. |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101200743/https://www.stgeorgesdc.org/new-events/all-saints-day |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-Saints-Day|title=All Saints' Day | Definition, History, & Facts|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=13 October 2021|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030150451/https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-Saints-Day|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lourenço |first=André |date=2023-11-01 |title=All Saint's Day - History & Origin |url=https://bibliotecadopregador.com.br/dia-de-todos-os-santos-origem-significado-e-historia/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=BIBLIOTECA DO PREGADOR |language=pt-BR}}</ref>
From the 4th century, [[feast day|feasts]] commemorating all [[Christian martyr]]s were held in various places,<ref name="Hopwood2019"/> on various dates near [[Easter]] and [[Pentecost]]. In the 9th century, some churches in the [[British Isles]] began holding the commemoration of all saints on November 1st, and in the 9th century this was extended to the whole Catholic Church by [[Pope Gregory IV]].<ref name=Mershman>{{Cite CE1913 | wstitle=All Saints' Day |first=Francis |last=Mershman|volume=1 }}</ref>
In [[Western Christianity]], it is celebrated on November 1st by the [[Latin Church|Roman Catholic Church]] as well as by many Protestant Churches, such as the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], [[Anglican]], and [[Methodist]] traditions.<ref name="Crain2021">{{cite web |last1=Crain |first1=Alex |title=All Saints' Day – The Meaning and History Behind the November 1st Holiday |url=https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/all-saints-day-november-1.html |publisher=[[Christianity.com]] |access-date=29 October 2021 |language=English |date=29 October 2021 |quote=All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, or Hallowmas, is a Christian celebration in honor of all the saints from Christian history. In Western Christianity, it is observed on November 1st by the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant denominations. The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic churches observe All Saints Day on the first Sunday following Pentecost. |archive-date=30 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030151659/https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/all-saints-day-november-1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> With respect to its [[Calendar of saints#Ranking of feast days|festal ranking]], All Saints' Day is a [[solemnity]] in Catholicism and a [[Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)#Festivals|festival]] in Lutheranism. The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and associated [[Eastern Catholic]] and [[Eastern Lutheranism|Eastern Lutheran]] churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after [[Pentecost]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sidhu |first1=Salatiel |last2=Baldovin |first2=John Francis |title=Holidays and Rituals of Jews and Christians |year=2013 |isbn=978-1481711401 |page=193 |publisher=AuthorHouse |quote=Lutheran and Orthodox Churches who do not call themselves Roman Catholic Churches have maintained the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, still celebrate this Day. Even the Protestant Churches like the United Methodist Church all celebrate this day as the All Souls' Day and call it All Saints' day.}}</ref> The [[Syro-Malabar Church]] and the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], both of which are in communion with Rome, as well as the [[Church of the East]], celebrate All Saints' Day on the first Friday after [[Easter|Easter Sunday]].<ref name="SMCLIT">{{Cite web|url=http://www.syromalabarchurch.in/pdf/Panchangam%20English2016.pdf|title=Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar 2016|publisher=syromalabarchurch.in|access-date=3 November 2016|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411202501/http://www.syromalabarchurch.in/pdf/Panchangam%20English2016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[Coptic Orthodox]] tradition, All Saints' Day is on [[Nayrouz]], celebrated on September 11th. The day is the start of the Coptic new year, and of its first month, [[Thout]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Coptic Syndrome of Trying to Find Coptic Origins to Arab Words: Nayrouz as an Example |url=https://copticliterature.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/the-coptic-syndrome-of-trying-to-find-coptic-origin-to-arab-words-nayrouz-as-an-example/ |website=On Coptic Nationalism فى القومية القبطية |date=14 September 2015 |access-date=11 September 2018 |archive-date=11 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911152534/https://copticliterature.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/the-coptic-syndrome-of-trying-to-find-coptic-origin-to-arab-words-nayrouz-as-an-example/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In the Western Christian practice, the [[liturgy|liturgical]] celebration begins with its first [[vespers]] on the evening of October 31st, [[All Hallows' Eve]] (All Saints' Eve or Hallowe'en), and ends at the [[compline]] of November 1st. It is thus the day before [[All Souls' Day]], which commemorates the faithful departed. In many traditions, All Saints' Day is part of the season of [[Allhallowtide]], which includes the three days from October 31st to November 3rd inclusive, as well as the [[International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church]] (held on the first Sunday of November), and in some Christian denominations, such as [[Anglicanism]], extends to [[Remembrance Sunday]].<ref name="Mandato2024">{{cite web |last1=Mandato |first1=Luke |title=Day of prayer Nov. 3 for persecuted Christian women |url=https://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/37302-day-of-prayer-nov-3-for-persecuted-christian-women |publisher=[[The Catholic Register]] |access-date=1 November 2024 |language=English |date=29 October 2024|quote=Observed each year on the first Sunday of November within the liturgical period of Allhallowtide, the Intentional Day of Prayer (IDOP) marks a time to remember, support and pray for Christians experiencing religious persecution and hardship.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last =Leslie|editor-first=Frank|title=Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x7_QAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA539 |year=1895| publisher=Frank Leslie Publishing House |pages=539–544|chapter=Allhallowtide|author-last= Addis | author-first=M.E. Leicester | quote-page= 539 |quote=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' Day. From the 31st of October until the morning of the 3rd of November, this period of three days, known as All-hallowtide, is full of traditional and legendary lore.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=All Saints' Tide|url=http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/pohg/s2a.html|website=Services and Prayers for the Season from All Saints to Candlemas|publisher=[[General Synod of the Church of England]]|quote=For many twentieth-century Christians the All Saints-tide period is extended to include Remembrance Sunday. In the Calendar and Lectionary we have sought to make it easier to observe this without cutting across a developing lectionary pattern, and we have reprinted the form of service approved ecumenically for use on that day.|access-date=31 October 2018|archive-date=5 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805022123/http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/pohg/s2a.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hopwood2019">{{cite book |last1=Hopwood |first1=James A. |title=Keeping Christmas|year=2019 |publisher=[[Wipf and Stock Publishers]] |isbn=978-1-5326-9537-7 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bhO4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA47}}</ref> In places where All Saints' Day is observed as a public holiday, cemetery and grave rituals such as offerings of flowers, candles and prayers or blessings for the graves of loved ones often take place on All Saints' Day (along with other days of Allsaintstide, especially on All Hallows Eve and All Souls Day).<ref name="Morton2003"/><ref name="Hatch1978">{{cite book|last=Hatch|first=Jane M.|title=The American Book of Days|url=https://archive.org/details/americanbookofda00hatc/page/979|year=1978|publisher=Wilson|language=en|isbn=978-0824205935|page=979|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="army.mil-toussaint">{{Cite web|url=https://www.army.mil/article/196239/all_saints_day_honors_the_deceased|title=All Saints' Day honors the deceased|website=www.army.mil|date=November 2017 |access-date=6 February 2019|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009181048/https://www.army.mil/article/196239/all_saints_day_honors_the_deceased|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="couleur-toussaint">{{Cite web|url=https://www.couleurnature.com/blogs/news/the-flower-of-death|title=The Flower of Death|website=CouleurNature|access-date=5 May 2018|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009181050/https://www.couleurnature.com/blogs/news/the-flower-of-death|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="portugese-american-saints">{{Cite web|url=https://portuguese-american-journal.com/national-holiday-november-1st-is-all-saints-day-%e2%80%93-portugal/|title=National holiday: November 1st is All Saints Day – Portugal|date=1 November 2011|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=30 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030151658/https://portuguese-american-journal.com/national-holiday-november-1st-is-all-saints-day-%e2%80%93-portugal/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Ceremonial use of lights#Christianity|use of candles by Christians]] symbolized the [[light of Christ]] and the use of lamps at the tombs of [[Christian martyrs]] dates back to the early Christian period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halevi |first1=Leor |title=Muhammad's Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society |date=5 July 2011 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-51193-3 |page=150 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Beeton">{{cite book |last1=Beeton |first1=Samuel Orchart |title=Beeton's Dictionary of Universal Information |date=1870 |publisher=[[Ward, Lock & Co.]] |page=210 |language=en}}</ref> In Austria and Germany, [[godparents]] gift their godchildren [[Allerheiligenstriezel]] (All Saint's Braid) on All Saint's Day,<ref name="Williams2016">{{cite book|last= Williams|first=Victoria|title=Celebrating Life Customs around the World|year=2016|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|language=en|page=979}}</ref> while the practice of [[souling]] remains popular in Portugal.<ref name="Guillain2014">{{cite book|last= Guillain|first=Charlotte |title=Portugal|year=2014|publisher=Capstone|language=en}}</ref> It is a [[public holiday|national holiday]] in many [[Christian state|Christian countries]].<ref name="SI2025">{{cite web |title=All Saints' Day in Sweden |url=https://sweden.se/culture/celebrations/all-saints-day-in-sweden |publisher=Swedish Institute |access-date=1 November 2025 |date=12 October 2025 |quote=It’s a public holiday, and most shops tend to have Sunday opening hours. To many, this day remains a day to visit a cemetery to light candles and lay flowers on a grave or by a memorial grove. Many churches across the country organise concerts to celebrate All Saints’ Day.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2025 Public Holidays in Finland |url=https://publicholidays.fi/ |publisher=Public Holidays Global |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
The Christian celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the "[[Church triumphant]]"), the living (the "[[Church militant]]"), and the "[[Church penitent]]" which includes the faithful departed. In [[Catholic]] theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the [[beatific vision]] in Heaven. The [[Lutheran]] branch of Christianity, on All Hallows' Day, remembers "those blessed fellow-believers who died in the Lord and are now at rest even as we wait with them for the Last Day and the resurrection of the body to eternal life with Christ."<ref name="Pless2020">{{cite web |last1=Pless |first1=John T. |title=Remembering the Dead: Preparing to Preach on All Saints Sunday |url=https://www.1517.org/articles/remembering-the-dead-preparing-to-preach-on-all-saints-sunday |publisher=1517 |access-date=1 November 2024 |language=en |date=29 October 2020}}</ref> In [[Methodist]] theology, All Saints' Day revolves around "giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his [[Saints in Methodism|saints]]", including those who are "famous or obscure".<ref name="Iovino2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved|title=All Saints Day: A holy day John Wesley loved|last=Iovino|first=Joe|date=28 October 2015|publisher=[[The United Methodist Church]]|language=en|access-date=20 October 2016|archive-date=1 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201205520/http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved|url-status=live}}</ref> As such, individuals throughout the Church Universal are honoured, such as [[Paul the Apostle]], [[Augustine of Hippo]] and other saints, varying according to the [[Hagiography|hagiographic]] traditions of the Church in question. In some traditions, the day is also used to celebrate individuals who have personally led one to faith in Jesus, such as one's grandmother or friend.<ref name="Iovino2015" />
==Observance by Christian denomination== ===Western Christianity=== [[File:Alla helgons dag Hedemora kyrka 2015 01.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] being celebrated on All Saints' Day at Hedemora Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Sweden]] [[File:Graves in a Polish cemetery, decorated with candles for All Saints' Day on November 1st, Zabrze, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, November 2024 (2).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Graves in a Polish cemetery, decorated with candles for All Saints' Day on November 1st, Zabrze, Silesian Voivodeship, [[Poland]]]]
The holiday of All Saints' Day falls on November 1st and is followed by [[All Souls' Day]] on November 2nd. It is a Solemnity in the [[Roman Rite]] of the Catholic Church, a [[Calendar of Saints (Lutheran)|Festival]] in the [[Lutheran Church]]es, and a [[Principal Feast]] of the [[Anglican Communion]].
====History==== From the 4th century, there existed in certain places and at sporadic intervals a feast day to commemorate all Christian martyrs.<ref>Smith, C. (1967) ''The New Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''s.v.'' "All Saints, Feast of", Vol. 1, p. 318.</ref> It was held on May 13th in [[Edessa]], the Sunday after [[Pentecost]] in [[Antioch]], and the Friday after Easter by the Syrians.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Saunders|first1=William|title=All Saints and All Souls|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/all-saints-and-all-souls.html|website=catholiceducation.org|access-date=18 September 2016|archive-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918155355/http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/all-saints-and-all-souls.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the 5th century, [[St. Maximus of Turin]] preached annually on the Sunday after Pentecost in honor of all martyrs in what is today northern Italy. The Comes of Würzburg, the earliest existing ecclesiastical reading list, dating to the late 6th or early 7th century in what is today Germany, lists the Sunday after Pentecost as ''dominica in natale sanctorum'' ('Sunday of the Nativity of the Saints'). By this time, the commemoration had expanded to include all saints, martyred or not.<ref name="new-catholic-2nd-all-saints"/>
On 13 May 609 or 610, [[Pope Boniface IV]] consecrated the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon at Rome]] to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary;<ref name=Mershman /> the feast of ''dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres'' has been celebrated at Rome ever since. It is suggested May 13th was chosen by the Pope and earlier by Christians in Edessa because it was the date of the [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman pagan]] festival of [[Lemuria (festival)|Lemuria]], in which malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Some [[Liturgics|liturgiologists]] suggest that Lemuria was the origin of All Saints, based on their identical dates and their similar theme of "all the dead".{{efn|name=CatSaint}}
[[Pope Gregory III]] (731–741) [[Dedication (ritual)|dedicated]] an [[oratory (worship)|oratory]] in [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] to 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".{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Some sources say Gregory III dedicated the oratory on November 1st, and this is why the date became All Saints' Day.<ref name=ox/> Other sources say Gregory III held a [[synod]] to condemn [[iconoclasm]] on 1 November 731, but he dedicated the All Saints oratory on [[Palm Sunday]], 12 April 732.<ref>McClendon, Charles (2013). "Old Saint Peter's and the Iconoclastic Controversy", in ''Old Saint Peter's, Rome''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9781107041646}}. pp. 215–216: "Soon after his election in 731, Gregory III summoned a synod to gather on 1 November in the basilica of Saint Peter's in order to respond to the policy of iconoclasm that he believed was being promoted by the Byzantine Emperor [...] Six months later, in April of the following year, 732, the pope assembled another synod in the basilica to consecrate a new oratory dedicated to the Saviour, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints".</ref><ref>Ó Carragáin, Éamonn (2005). ''Ritual and the Rood: Liturgical Images and the Old English Poems of the Dream of the Rood Tradition''. University of Toronto Press. {{ISBN|9780802090089}}. p. 258: "Gregory III began his reign with a synod in St Peter's (1 November 731) which formally condemned iconoclasm [...] on the Sunday before Easter, 12 April 732, Gregory convoked yet another synod [...] and at the synod inaugurated an oratory [...] Dedicated to all saints, this oratory was designed to hold 'relics of the holy apostles and all the holy martyrs and confessors'".</ref><ref>Levy, Ian; Macy, Gary and Van Ausdall, Kristen (editors) (2011). ''A Companion to the Eucharist in the Middle Ages''. Brill Publishers. p. 151. {{ISBN|9789004201415}}</ref><ref>Noble, Thomas (2012). ''Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians''. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 125. {{ISBN|9780812222562}}</ref>
By 800, there is evidence that churches in [[Gaelic Ireland]]<ref name="farmer">Farmer, David. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' (Fifth Edition, Revised). Oxford University Press, 2011. p. 14</ref> and [[Anglo-Saxon]] [[Northumbria]] were holding a feast commemorating all saints on November 1st.<ref name=Hutton/> There was much [[Gaels|Gaelic]] influence on Northumbria and its church during this period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edmonds |first1=Fiona |title=Gaelic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom: The Golden Age and the Viking Age |date=2019 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |pages=xv-xvii}}</ref> Some manuscripts of the Irish ''[[Martyrology of Tallaght]]'' and ''[[Óengus of Tallaght|Martyrology of Óengus]]'', which date to this time, have a commemoration of all saints of the world on November 1st.<ref name="butler">[[Alban Butler|Butler, Alban]]. ''Butler's Lives of the Saints, New Full Edition, Volume 11: November (Revised by Sarah Fawcett Thomas)''. Burns & Oates, 1997. pp. 1–2. Quote: "Some manuscripts of the ninth-century ''Félire'', or martyrology, of St Oengus the Culdee and the ''Martyrology of Tallaght'' (c. 800), which have a commemoration of the martyrs on 17 April, a feast of 'all the saints of the whole of Europe' on 20 April, and a feast of all saints of Africa on 23 December, also refer to a celebration of all the saints on 1 November".</ref><ref name="new-catholic-2nd-all-saints"/> In 800, [[Alcuin]] of [[Northumbria]] recommended the November 1st feast to his friend, [[Arno of Salzburg]] in [[Bavaria]].<ref name="Dales">Dales, Douglas (2013). ''Alcuin II: Theology and Thought''. James Clarke and Co. pp. 34, 39–40 {{ISBN|9780227900871}}</ref><ref>McCluskey, Stephen (2000). ''Astronomies and Cultures in Early Medieval Europe''. Cambridge University Press. p. 64. {{ISBN|9780521778527}}</ref> Alcuin , a member of [[Charlemagne]]'s court, may have been responsible for introducing this Irish-Northumbrian feast of All Saints in the [[Frankish Empire]].<ref name="new-catholic-2nd-alcuin">{{cite book |title=New Catholic Encyclopedia |date=2003 |isbn=0-7876-4004-2 |pages=242–243 |publisher=Thomson/Gale |edition=Second}}</ref> Adoption of the November 1st feast might also have been driven by [[Hiberno-Scottish mission|Irish missionaries]], and there were Irish clerics and scholars at Charlemagne's court as well.<ref name="Dales"/>
James Frazer represents this school of thought by arguing that November 1st was chosen because [[Samhain]] was the date of the Celtic festival of the dead.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hennig | first=John | title=The Meaning of All the Saints | journal=Mediaeval Studies | publisher=Brepols Publishers NV | volume=10 | year=1948 | doi=10.1484/j.ms.2.306574 | pages=147–161}}</ref><ref name=ox>{{cite book|chapter=All Saints Day|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church|edition= 3rd |editor2-first=E. A. |editor2-last=Livingstone|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date= 1997|page=42|isbn= 9780192802903|editor1-first=Frank Leslie|editor1-last=Cross|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 2856837|title = A Feast of All the Saints of Europe|journal = Speculum|volume = 21|issue = 1|pages = 49–66|last1 = Hennig|first1 = John|year = 1946|doi = 10.2307/2856837|s2cid = 161532352}}</ref> Ronald Hutton argues instead that the earliest documentary sources indicate [[Samhain]] was a harvest festival with no particular ritual connections to the dead. Hutton proposes that November 1st was a Germanic rather than a Celtic idea.<ref name=Hutton>{{cite book | last = Hutton | first = Ronald | author-link = Ronald Hutton | title = Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain | year = 1996 | publisher = Oxford Paperbacks | location = New York | isbn = 0192854488 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/stationsofsunhis0000hutt|page=364 }}</ref>
In 835, Charlemagne's son and successor, Emperor [[Louis the Pious]], made All Saints' Day on November 1st, a [[holy day of obligation]] throughout the [[Frankish Empire]]. His decree was issued "at the instance of [[Pope Gregory IV]] and with the assent of all the bishops",{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} confirming the November 1st date.
[[Sicard of Cremona]], a scholar who lived in the 12th and 13th centuries, proposed that [[Pope Gregory VII]] (1073–85) suppressed the May 13th date in favour of 1 November. By the 12th century, the May 13th feast of All Saints had been deleted from liturgical books.<ref name="new-catholic-2nd-all-saints"/>
The All Saints [[Octave (liturgy)|octave]] was added by [[Pope Sixtus IV]] (1471–84).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
====Roman Catholic observances==== In the [[Catholic Church]], All Saints' Day is a [[holy day of obligation]]. It is celebrated through the offering of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] and families visit graveyards through the season of Allhallowtide, especially on All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.<ref name="Rosa2024"/><ref name="Morton2003"/> In 1955, the All Saints [[vigil]] and the octave were suppressed by the [[Liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII]], though [[Traditional Catholic]] communities, such as the [[Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen]], continue to observe it.<ref name="new-catholic-2nd-all-saints"/><ref name="Plese2014"/>
====Evangelical Lutheran observances==== [[File:Alla helgons dag Garpenberg 2015, högaltaret.jpg|thumb|Garpenbergs Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Sweden is prepared for the celebration of [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] on All Saints' Day]] The festival was retained after the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] in the [[liturgical year|liturgical calendars]] of the [[Lutheranism|Evangelical-Lutheran Church]]es.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In the Lutheran churches, such as the [[Church of Sweden]], it assumes a role of general commemoration of the dead, though a special emphasis is placed on the [[Christian martyr|martyrs]] for the faith (cf. ''[[Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)#Saints in the liturgical calendar|Saints of Evangelical-Lutheranism]]'').<ref name="Porter2023">{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Christopher |title=Reformation, All Saints’, All Souls’ (and Totenfest too) |url=https://www.lebanonlutheranchurch.org/reformation-all-saints-all-souls-and-totenfest-too/ |publisher=Lebanon Lutheran Church |access-date=4 November 2025 |date=4 October 2023 |quote=All Saints’ Day is a much earlier festival, officially established in the 9th Century, and is concerned with the remembrance of the great (usually martyr) heroes of the faith; those that are sometimes called capital “S” Saints. There is nothing wrong or unchristian in the practice of remembering those who made especially good use of the “talents” (Matthew 25:14-30) that God had given them – those who made a particularly vibrant witness, in some way, to their Lord and God. We take this time as an occasion to thank God for the faith He has given and sustained in them, and we hold their lives up as exemplary. The preaching for this Day will figure largely on these blessed heroes. In more recent times, many churches also remember all the faithful who have died persisting in the Christian faith. ... Whereas All Saints was for remembering the victory of Christ in the lives of noticeably “heroic” and virtuous Christians, All Souls was for celebrating Christ’s victory for and in the rest}}</ref> All Saints Day is a public holiday in Evangelical Lutheran countries, such as Sweden and Finland. In some Lutheran congregations, its observance is moved to the first Sunday of November. In the Lutheran churches, the liturgical color for All Saints Day is white and [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] is offered on All Saints Day.<ref>{{cite web |title=All Saints' Day |url=https://calendar.lcms.org/event/all-saints-day-series-b-and-one-year-series/ |publisher=[[Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod]] |access-date=1 November 2024 |date=27 October 2024}}</ref> The festival honors the saints of Evangelical-Lutheran Christianity, in addition to all those who have died in the Christian faith (the 'faithful departed'), though in certain congregations, the latter is given more emphasis on the following day, [[All Souls' Day]].<ref name="Porter2023"/> As such, in the Evangelical Lutheran tradition, the faithful "rejoice in the confession of martyrs unto death on All Saints, and in all the faithful departed, who are in the Church Triumphant, on All Souls."<ref name="Peterson2025">{{cite web |last1=Peterson |first1=David |title=All Saints’ Day |url=https://allthehousehold.com/all-saints-day/ |publisher=ATH |access-date=4 November 2025 |date=26 October 2025}}</ref> In some places, the names of those within the congregation who have died in the last year are read during worship and each name is marked with the tolling of a bell or the lighting of a candle. The faithful visit cemeteries to place flowers and candles on the graves of their loved ones, along with cleaning them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Finns carry candles to graveyards to commemorate the dead |url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20191629 |publisher=YLE |access-date=1 November 2025 |language=en |date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
====Anglican and Methodist observances==== In the [[Church of England]], [[mother church]] of the [[Anglican Communion]], it is a [[Principal Feast]] and may be celebrated either on November 1st or on the Sunday between October 30th and November 5th. It is also celebrated by other [[Protestants]], such as the [[United Church of Canada]] and various [[Methodist]] connexions.<ref name="Iovino2015b">{{cite web |last1=Iovino |first1=Joe |title=All Saints Day: A holy day John Wesley loved |url=https://www.umc.org/en/content/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved |publisher=[[The United Methodist Church]] |access-date=29 October 2021 |language=English |date=28 October 2015 |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030001408/https://www.umc.org/en/content/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved |url-status=live }}</ref> Protestants generally commemorate all Christians, living and deceased, on All Saints' Day; 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 members of the local church congregation who have died. 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.
====Vigil==== {{Main|Halloween}}
Being the [[Vigil#Eves of religious celebrations|vigil]] of All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day), in [[Geography of Halloween|many countries]], such as Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, [[Halloween]] (All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve) is celebrated on October 31st.<ref>{{cite book|year=1973|title=NEDCO Producers' Guide (volume 31–33) |publisher=Northeast Dairy Cooperative Federation|quote=Originally celebrated as the night before All Saints' Day, Christians chose November first to honor their many saints. The night before was called All Saints' Eve or hallowed eve meaning holy evening.}}</ref> [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] for the Vigil of All Saints is held in Christian congregations of the Catholic, [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] and [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] denominations.<ref name="Schoewe2024">{{cite web |last1=Schoewe |first1=Caitlin |title=All Saints Day celebrations on Oct. 31, Nov. 1 |url=https://today.marquette.edu/2024/10/all-saints-day-celebrations-on-oct-31-nov-1/ |publisher=Marquette Today |access-date=1 November 2024 |date=30 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="Hemsath2018">{{cite web |last1=Hemsath |first1=Robert |title=All Hallows Eve and All Saints |url=http://www.faithhuntsville.org/pastors-blog/all-hallows-eve-and-all-saints |publisher=Faith Lutheran Church |access-date=1 November 2024 |language=en |date=31 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="Pennington2024">{{cite web |last1=Pennington |first1=Michelle |title=St. John Episcopal & Redeemer Lutheran to celebrate All Hallows Eve Oct. 31 |url=https://morningsentinel.com/2024/10/24/st-john-episcopal-redeemer-lutheran-to-celebrate-all-hallows-eve-oct-31/ |publisher=The Sentinel |access-date=1 November 2024 |language=English |date=24 October 2024}}</ref> All Hallows' Eve has traditionally been a day of fasting in Western Christianity; Traditional Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans continue this practice in the present-day.<ref name="Plese2014">{{cite web |last1=Plese |first1=Matthew |title=Vigil of All Saints |url=https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2014/10/vigil-of-all-saints.html |publisher=A Catholic Life |access-date=1 November 2024 |date=31 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="Peters2012">{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Bosco |title=BCP Tables and Rules |url=https://liturgy.co.nz/bcp-tables-and-rules |publisher=Liturgy |access-date=1 November 2024 |date=14 September 2012}}</ref> Congregations of the [[Church of England]], mother Church of the Anglican Communion, host light parties in their fellowship halls on All Hallows' Eve.<ref name="Doward2017">{{cite web |last1=Doward |first1=Jamie |title=Halloween light parties put a Christian spin on haunted celebrations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/28/halloween-light-parties-church-christian-spin |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=1 November 2024 |date=28 October 2017}}</ref> In the Lutheran, Anglican and Reformed traditions of Christianity, All Hallows' Eve is dually celebrated as [[Reformation Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2016/10/chilean-anglicans-to-march-for-jesus-on-reformation-day.aspx|title=Chilean Anglicans to March for Jesus on Reformation Day|last=Drake|first=Gavin|date=18 October 2016|publisher=Anglican Communion News Service|language=en|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allsoulsnj.org/2017/09/25/reformation-day-service-600pm/|title=Reformation Day Service – 6:00PM|last=Jansma|first=Henry|date=25 September 2017|publisher=All Souls Anglican Church|language=en|access-date=31 October 2018|quote=All Souls Anglican adjourns its normal 4:00 pm on October 29th to join our fellow reformed churches at 6:00 pm to remember God's gracious providence displayed during the Protestant Reformation of the 15th and 16th Centuries at the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.}}</ref> During Allhallowtide (especially on All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day), it is common for Christians to visit graveyards in order to remember their loved ones; families often pray there and decorate the graves of their loved ones with garlands, flowers, candles as well as incense.<ref name="Morton2003">{{cite book|last=Morton|first=Lisa|title=The Halloween Encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1524-3}}</ref><ref name="Rosa2024">{{cite web |last1=Rosa |first1=Jamillah Sta |title=Filipinos Brave Crowds, Flooding For All Saints' Day Cemetery Visits |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/filipinos-brave-crowds-flooding-for-all-saints-day-cemetery-visits-006f24e8 |publisher=Barrons |access-date=1 November 2024 |language=English |date=31 October 2024}}</ref> During the 20th century the observance largely became a secular one, although some traditional Christian groups have continued to embrace the Christian origins of Halloween whereas others have rejected such celebrations.<ref name="russo">''Halloween: What's a Christian to Do?'' (1998) by Steve Russo.</ref><ref name="Brandreth">Brandreth, Gyles (11 March 2000) "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011093730/http://telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fhealth%2F2000%2F11%2F03%2Ftldevl03.xml&page=1 The Devil is gaining ground]" ''The Sunday Telegraph'' (London).</ref>
====Hymnody==== In English-speaking countries, services often include the singing of the traditional hymn "[[For All the Saints]]" by [[Walsham How]]. The most familiar tune for this hymn is ''Sine Nomine'' by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]. Other hymns that are popularly sung during corporate worship on this day are "[[I Sing a Song of the Saints of God]]" and "[[Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones]]".{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
===Eastern Christianity===
The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], following the Byzantine tradition, commemorates all saints collectively on the Sunday after [[Pentecost]], '''All Saints' Sunday''' (Greek: Ἁγίων Πάντων, ''Agiōn Pantōn'').
By 411, the East Syrians kept the Chaldean Calendar with a "Commemoratio Confessorum" celebrated on the Friday after Easter.<ref name=Mershman /> The 74th homily of St. [[John Chrysostom]] from the late 4th or early 5th century marks the observance of a feast of all the martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost.<ref name="new-catholic-2nd-all-saints">{{cite book |title=New Catholic Encyclopedia |date=2003 |isbn=0-7876-4004-2 |pages=288–290 |publisher=Thomson/Gale |edition=Second}}</ref> Some scholars place the location where this sermon was delivered as [[Constantinople]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints|publisher=Church Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-0898696783|page=662|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CZqabeZvNaMC&pg=PA662|date=2010}}</ref>
The Feast of All Saints achieved greater prominence in the 9th century, in the reign of the [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Leo VI the Wise|Leo VI "the Wise"]] (866–911). His wife, Empress [[Theophano Martiniake|Theophano]] lived a devout life and, after her death, miracles occurred. Her husband built a church for her relics and intended to name it to her. He was discouraged to do so by local bishops and instead dedicated it to "All Saints".<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Db9Z_BagLw8C&pg=PA115 |pages=99–120 |title=The Empress Theophano: Byzantium and the West at the Turn of the First Millennium |editor1-first=Adelbert |editor1-last=Davids |first=Adelbert |last=Davids|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2002 |isbn=978-0521524674 |chapter=Marriage negotiations between Byzantium and the West and the name of Theophano in Byzantium (eight to tenth centuries)}}</ref> 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.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
This Sunday marks the close of the [[Paschal cycle|Paschal season]]. To the normal Sunday services are added special scriptural readings and hymns to all the saints (known and unknown) from the [[Pentecostarion]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
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 "[[Persecution of Christians#Ottoman Empire|New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke]]".{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
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 (liturgy)|Octoechos]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
====Lebanon==== The celebration of November 1st in Lebanon as a holiday reflects the influence of Western Catholic orders present in Lebanon and is not [[Maronite]] in origin. The traditional Maronite feast equivalent to the honor of all saints in their liturgical calendar is one of three Sundays in preparation for Lent called the Sunday of the Righteous and the Just. The following Sunday is the Sunday of the Faithful Departed (similar to All Souls' Day in Western calendar).{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
====East Syriac tradition==== In East Syriac tradition the All Saints' Day celebration falls on the first Friday after resurrection Sunday.<ref name="SMCLIT" /> This is because all departed faithful are saved by the blood of Jesus and they resurrected with the Christ. Normally in east Syriac liturgy the departed souls are remembered on Friday. Church celebrates All Souls' Day on Friday before the beginning of Great lent or Great Fast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasranifoundation.org/calendar/dr/reflection_9fri_denha.html|title=Commemoration of the Departed Faithful|work=Nasrani Foundation|access-date=3 November 2016|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104002148/http://www.nasranifoundation.org/calendar/dr/reflection_9fri_denha.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Customs==
===Europe===
====Austria and Bavaria==== In Austria and Bavaria, it is customary on All Saints' Day for godfathers to give their godchildren ''[[Allerheiligenstriezel]]'', a braided yeast pastry. People decorate and visit graves of their family members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metropole.at/austrian-holiday-november-saints-day/|title=Your Guide to All Saints' Day in Vienna|date=31 October 2017|access-date=7 August 2018|archive-date=7 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807220638/https://metropole.at/austrian-holiday-november-saints-day/|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Belgium==== In Belgium, ''Toussaint'' or ''Allerheiligen'' is a public holiday. Belgians visit the cemeteries to place chrysanthemums on the graves of deceased relatives on All Saints' Day, since All Souls' Day is not a holiday.<ref name="army.mil-toussaint"/>
====Croatia==== All Saints' Day (Croatian: ''Svi sveti'') is observed in Croatia by placing candles and flowers on the graves of the deceased. It is a public holiday with most businesses closed. Cities provide free public transportation to the local cemeteries. Liturgies are also conducted by priests around a central location in some cemeteries; the one held in [[Mirogoj Cemetery|Mirogoj]], [[Zagreb]] is broadcast every year on national television.
====France==== In France, and throughout the [[Francophone]] world, the day is known as ''La Toussaint''. Flowers (especially [[chrysanthemum]]s), or wreaths called ''couronnes de toussaints'', are placed at each tomb or grave. The following day, November 2nd ([[All Souls' Day]]) is called ''Le jour des morts'', the Day of the Dead.<ref name="couleur-toussaint"/> November 1st is a public holiday.
====Germany==== In Germany, ''Allerheiligen'' is a public holiday in five federal states, namely [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Bavaria|Bayern]], [[Rhineland-Palatinate|Rheinland-Pfalz]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia|Nordrhein-Westfalen]] and [[Saarland]]. They categorize it as a silent day ''(stiller Tag)'' when public entertainment events are only permitted if the serious character of the day is preserved.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/germany/all-saints|title=All Saints' Day in Germany|access-date=2 November 2020|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106201207/https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/germany/all-saints|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayFTG-3|title=FTG: Art. 3 Stille Tage – Bürgerservice|access-date=3 November 2021|archive-date=3 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103095133/https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayFTG-3|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Hungary====
In Hungary, ''Mindenszentek napja'' (literally All Saints Day) is a national holiday which is followed by ''Halottak napja'' ([[Day of the Dead]]). On Day of the Dead people take candles and flowers (especially [[chrysanthemum]]s) on the tombs or graves of all their loved ones and relatives thus many people travel around the country to distant cemeteries. People who cannot travel may lay their flowers or candles at the main calvary cross of a nearby cemetery. Since only All Saints' Day is a national holiday, most people use this day to visit cemeteries and pay tribute to their deceased relatives. As in the case with every national holiday in Hungary if All Saints' Day happens to be a Tuesday or a Thursday then that week's Monday or Friday is observed as a Saturday, making that weekend four days long, and one of the previous or following Saturdays is changed to a workday. Traffic in and around cemeteries are much higher than usual on these days with actual police presence.
====Poland==== [[File:Celebración de Todos los Santos, cementerio de la Santa Cruz, Gniezno, Polonia, 2017-11-01, DD 07-09 HDR.jpg|thumb|300px|All Saints' Day at a cemetery in [[Gniezno]], [[Poland]] – flowers and candles placed to honor deceased relatives (2017)]] In Poland, ''Dzień Wszystkich Świętych'' is a public holiday. Families try to gather together for both All Saints' Day and the [[All Souls' Day]] ''([[Zaduszki]])'', the official day to commemorate the departed faithful. The celebrations begin with tending to family graves and the surrounding graveyards, lighting candles and leaving flowers. November 1st is a public holiday in Poland, while the following All Souls' Day is not. The Zaduszki custom of honouring the dead thus corresponds with All Souls' Day celebrations and is much more observed in Poland than in most other places in the West.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://culture.pl/en/article/all-souls-day-the-tradition-of-zaduszki-in-poland|title=All Souls' Day: The Tradition of Zaduszki in Poland|website=Culture.pl|access-date=30 October 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030144006/https://culture.pl/en/article/all-souls-day-the-tradition-of-zaduszki-in-poland|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Portugal==== In Portugal, ''Dia de Todos os Santos'' is a national holiday. Families remember their dead with religious observances and visits to the cemetery. Portuguese children celebrate the ''[[Pão-por-Deus]]'' tradition (also called ''bolinho'',<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.santamariasaude.pt/o-pao-por-deus-o-docura-ou-travessura-portugues/|publisher=stmariasaude|title=o pão por deus- o doçura ou travessura português|date=6 November 2018 |language=PT}}</ref> ''santorinho'', or ''fiéis de Deus'') going door-to-door, (very much like [[Trick-or-treating]]) where they receive cakes, nuts, dried fruits, sweets and candies.<ref name="portugese-american-saints"/>
====Spain==== In Spain, el ''Día de Todos los Santos'' is a national holiday. People take flowers to the graves of dead relatives. The play ''[[Don Juan Tenorio]]'' is traditionally performed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mividaen.sampere.com/all-saints-day-in-spain|title=All Saints' Day in Spain|work=Estudio Sampere|access-date=13 June 2018|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613184733/http://mividaen.sampere.com/all-saints-day-in-spain|url-status=dead}}</ref>
====Sweden==== [[File:Alla helgons dag Hedemora kyrka 2015 02.jpg|thumb|Candles, representing the [[light of Christ]], are lit at Hedemora Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Sweden in honour of the saints]] In Lutheran Sweden, the faithful attend [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] on All Saints Day, in addition to visiting cemeteries to clean the graves of their loves ones, while placing flowers and candles on them.<ref name="SI2025"/>
====Switzerland==== All Saints' Day is a public holiday or 'silent day' in some cantons of Switzerland.It is marked by bringing flowers and lighting candles in cemeteries, attending church services, baking special breads and pastries like [[Allerheiligenstriezel]], Allerheiligenwecken, Allerheiligenzopf, or (Seelen)[[zopf]]. Originally, these breads were for children and the poor who said a prayer for the dead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-th/experiences/events/all-saints-day/Publisher=MySwitzerland|title=all saints day}}</ref>
===Americas=== ====Guatemala==== [[File:Barrilete (Sumpango 2009).jpg|thumb|Giant kite (''barrilete'') at [[Sumpango, Sacatepéquez|Sumpango]], Guatemala]] In Guatemala, All Saints' Day is a national holiday. On that day Guatemalans make a special meal called ''[[fiambre]]'' which is made of cold meats and vegetables; it is customary to visit cemeteries and to leave some of the ''fiambre'' for their dead. It is also customary to fly kites to help unite the dead with the living. There are festivals in towns like [[Santiago Sacatepéquez]] and [[Sumpango, Sacatepéquez|Sumpango]], where giant colorful kites are flown.<ref name="revuemag-guatemala">{{Cite web|url=http://www.revuemag.com/2012/11/all-saints-day-in-guatemala-a-photographic-essay/|title=All Saints Day in Guatemala, A Photographic Essay – Revue Magazine|access-date=8 May 2018|archive-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629155628/http://www.revuemag.com/2012/11/all-saints-day-in-guatemala-a-photographic-essay/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
====Mexico==== All Saints' Day in Mexico coincides with the first day of the [[Day of the Dead]] (''Día de Muertos'') celebration. It commemorates children who have died (''Dia de los Inocentes''), and the second day celebrates all deceased adults.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-day-of-the-dead-st-1101-20151030-story.html|title=Mexican-Americans to celebrate Day of the Dead|first=Patricia|last=Trebe|website=chicagotribune.com|date=30 October 2015 |access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=28 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028172115/https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-day-of-the-dead-st-1101-20151030-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Philippines=== Allhallowtide in the Philippines is variously called ''Undás'' (from the Spanish ''Honras'', meaning 'honours', as in "with honours"), ''Todos los Santos'' (Spanish, 'All Saints'), and sometimes ''Araw ng mga Patay / Yumao'' ([[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], 'Day of the Dead, passed away'), which incorporates All Saints' Day and [[All Souls' Day]]. Filipinos traditionally observe this day by visiting their families' graves to clean and repair the tombs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.modernfilipina.ph/lifestyle/day-of-the-dead-traditions-philippines |title=Day of the Dead Traditions in the Philippines |last=Bautista |first=Iss |date=28 October 2018 |website=Modern Filipina |location=Philippines |publisher= |access-date=27 September 2023 |quote=}}</ref> Prayers for the dead are recited, while offerings are made, the most common being flowers, candles, food,<ref name="guardian-world-saints">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2010/nov/01/all-saints-day|title=All Saints Day around the world|newspaper=The Guardian|date=1 November 2010|via=www.theguardian.com|access-date=6 June 2018|archive-date=29 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029191718/https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2010/nov/01/all-saints-day|url-status=live}}</ref> and for [[Chinese Filipinos]], [[joss stick|incense]] and ''[[joss paper|kim]]''. Many also spend the day and ensuing night holding reunions at the graves with feasting and merriment.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Ronan |date=1 November 2020 |title=All Saints Day: How Filipinos use food to honour the dead in age-old tradition |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/all-saints-day-how-filipinos-use-food-to-honour-the-dead-in-age-old-tradition-1.1103223 |work=The National |location=United Arab Emirates |access-date=22 September 2023}}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://www.canadianfilipino.net/culture/on-all-souls-day-or-day-of-the-dead-let-s-pray-for-the-living-dead#:~:text=Filipinos%20traditionally%20observe%20All%20Souls,keeping%20vigil%20by%20the%20graveside. |title= On All Souls Day or Day of the Dead: Let's Pray for the Living Dead |last=Laquian |first=Eleanor R. |date=1 November 2020 |website=Canadian Filipino .Net |publisher=Maple Bamboo Network Society |access-date=22 September 2023 }}</ref>
====''Pangangaluluwa'' and Trick-or-treat==== Though Halloween is usually seen as an American influence, the country's trick-or-treat traditions during Undas are actually much older. This tradition was derived from the pre-colonial tradition of ''[[pangangaluluwa]]''. From ''káluluwâ'' ('spirit double'), it was a practice of early Filipinos, swathed in blankets, going from house to house, and singing as they pretended to be the spirits of ancestors. If the owner of the house failed to give ''biko'' or rice cakes to the ''nangángalúluwâ'', the "spirits" would play tricks (such as stealing slippers or other objects left outside the house, or run off with the family's chickens). Pangángaluluwâ practices are still seen in some rural areas.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
====Cemetery and reunion practices==== During Undas, families visit the graves of loved ones. It is believed that by going to the cemetery and offering food, candles, flowers, and sometimes incense, the spirits are remembered and appeased. Contrary to common belief, this visitation practice is not an imported tradition. Prior to the use of coffins, pre-colonial Filipinos were already visiting burial caves throughout the archipelago as confirmed by research conducted by the [[University of the Philippines]]. The tradition of ''[[Atang (food offering)|atang]]'' or ''hain'' is also practiced, where food and other offerings are placed at the gravesite. If the family cannot visit, a specific area in the house is set aside for ritual offerings.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
The present date of Undas, November 1st, is not a pre-colonial observance but an import from Mexico, where it is known as the Day of the Dead. Pre-colonial Filipinos preferred going to the burial caves of the departed occasionally as they believed that ''aswáng'' (monster, half-vampire, half-werewolf beings) would take the corpse of the dead if it was not properly guarded. Watching over the body of the dead is called "paglalamay". However, in some communities, this paglalamay tradition is non-existent and is replaced by other pre-colonial traditions unique to each community.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
Undas is also seen as a family holiday, where members living elsewhere return to their hometowns to visit ancestral graves. Family members are expected to remain beside the grave for the entire day and socialize with each other to strengthen ties. In some cases, family members going to graves may exceed one hundred people. Fighting in any form is taboo during Undas.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
====Role of children==== Children are allowed to play with melted candles left at tombs, which they form into wax balls. The round balls symbolize the affirmation that everything goes back to where it began, as the living will return to dust whence it came. In some cases, families also light candles by the front door, their number equivalent to the number of departed loved ones. It is believed that the lights aid the spirits and guide them to the afterlife.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/386063/lifestyle/artandculture/contemporary-undas-practices-derived-from-pre-colonial-influence-beliefs-cultural-anthropologist/|title=Contemporary Undas practices derived from pre-colonial influence, beliefs – cultural anthropologist|website=GMA News Online|date=31 October 2014 |access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=13 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813161803/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/386063/lifestyle/artandculture/contemporary-undas-practices-derived-from-pre-colonial-influence-beliefs-cultural-anthropologist|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/10/31/1251413/undas-filipino-culture | title=Undas in Filipino culture | newspaper=The Philippine Star | date=31 October 2013 | first=Elfren S. | last=Cruz | access-date=17 February 2018 | archive-date=14 November 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114120740/http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/10/31/1251413/undas-filipino-culture | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/64114/10-things-pinoys-do-during-undas | title=10 Things Pinoys Do During Undas | date=29 October 2015 | first=Mimi | last=Miaco | newspaper=Spot.ph | publisher=Spot | access-date=6 December 2018 | archive-date=31 October 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031091849/https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/64114/10-things-pinoys-do-during-undas | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Holidays== November 1st is a fixed date [[public holiday]] in [[Public holidays in Andorra|Andorra]], [[Public holidays in Austria|Austria]], [[Belgium]], [[Public holidays in Benin|Benin]], [[Public holidays in Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso]], [[Public holidays in Burundi|Burundi]], [[Public holidays in Cape Verde|Cape Verde]], [[Public holidays in the Central African Republic|Central African Republic]], [[Public holidays in Chad|Chad]], [[Public holidays in Chile|Chile]], [[Public holidays in Colombia|Colombia]], [[Public holidays in the Republic of the Congo|Congo]], [[Public holidays in Croatia|Croatia]], [[Public holidays in East Timor|East Timor]], [[Public holidays in France|France]], [[Public holidays in French Guiana|French Guiana]], [[Public holidays in French Polynesia|French Polynesia]], [[Public holidays in Gabon|Gabon]], [[Public holidays in Guadeloupe|Guadeloupe]], [[Public holidays in Guatemala|Guatemala]], [[Public holidays in Hungary|Hungary]], [[Public holidays in Italy|Italy]], [[Public holidays in Ivory Coast|Ivory Coast]], [[Public holidays in Lebanon|Lebanon]], [[Public holidays in Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]], [[Public holidays in Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[Public holidays in Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], [[Public holidays in Madagascar|Madagascar]], [[Public holidays in Martinique|Martinique]], [[Public holidays in Mauritius|Mauritius]], [[Public holidays in Peru|Peru]], [[Philippines]], [[Public holidays in Poland|Poland]], [[Public holidays in Portugal|Portugal]], [[Public holidays in Saint Barthélemy|Saint Barthélemy]], [[Public holidays in the Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]], [[Public holidays in Saint Pierre and Miquelon|Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], [[Public holidays in San Marino|San Marino]], [[Public holidays in Senegal|Senegal]], [[Public holidays in Seychelles|Seychelles]], [[Public holidays in Slovakia|Slovakia]], [[Public holidays in Slovenia|Slovenia]], [[Public holidays in Spain|Spain]], [[Public holidays in Togo|Togo]], [[Public holidays in Vatican City|the Vatican]] and [[Public holidays in Venezuela|Venezuela]].
In [[Public holidays in Belgium|Belgium]], all Sundays are public holidays; should All Saints' Day fall on a Sunday, then a replacement day on a weekday of choice is given. In [[Public holidays in Monaco|Monaco]], if it falls on a Sunday, the next day is a statutory holiday. [[File:Hietaniemi cemetery All Saints' Day 2012.TIF|thumb|300px|Candles lit at memorial to passed generations and loved ones lying elsewhere in [[Hietaniemi Cemetery]] (in [[Helsinki|Helsinki, Finland]]) on All Saints' Day]] In [[Public holidays in Finland|Finland]], [[Public holidays in Estonia|Estonia]] and [[Public holidays in Sweden|Sweden]], an All Saints public holiday falls on the Saturday during the period between October 31st and November 6th. The preceding Friday is a half-holiday in Sweden.
In [[Public holidays in Montenegro|Montenegro]], All Saints' Day is considered a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] holiday and is a non-working day for that religious community. In [[Public holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] it is a public holiday in the [[Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] only.
In [[Public holidays in Germany|Germany]] All Saints' is a designated [[quiet day]] in states of [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Bavaria]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] and [[Saarland]]. Similarly in [[Public holidays in Switzerland|Switzerland]] the following 15 out of 26 cantons have All Saints as a public holiday: [[Canton of Aargau|Aargau]], [[Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden|Appenzell Innerrhoden]], [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]] (partly), [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]], [[Canton of Jura|Jura]], [[Canton of Lucerne|Luzern]], [[Canton of Nidwalden|Nidwalden]], [[Canton of Obwalden|Obwalden]], [[Canton of St Gallen|Saint Gallen]], [[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]], [[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]], [[Canton of Ticino|Ticino]], [[Canton of Uri|Uri]], [[Canton of Valais|Valais]], and [[Canton of Zug|Zug]].
Although the [[European Commission]] does not set [[Public holidays in the European Union|public holidays for its member states]], November 1st is a public holiday for the employees of the institutions of the [[European Union]].
In [[Public holidays in the Philippines|the Philippines]], where there are two types of public holidays, All Saints' Day is a fixed date, special holiday.
In [[Public holidays in India|India]], All Saints' Day is considered a public holiday in the state of [[Karnataka]] and a Christian religious holiday throughout the country, which means it is often a common addition to the list of paid holidays at the discretion of the employer, for those that wish to observe. It also happens to coincide with several state foundation days that fall on November 1st in several states: [[Karnataka Rajyotsava]] in [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh Day]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]], Haryana Foundation Day in [[Haryana]], Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day in [[Madhya Pradesh]], Kerala Foundation Day in [[Kerala]] and the Chhattisgarh Foundation Day in [[Chhattisgarh]].
In [[Public holidays in Bolivia|Bolivia]], All Saints is a public holiday on November 2nd, unlike most other countries which celebrate [[All Souls' Day]] on that date.
In [[Antigua and Barbuda]], November 1st falls on Independence Day, in [[Public holidays in Algeria|Algeria]] on Revolution Day and in the [[Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands|US Virgin Islands]] on Liberty Day.
==See also== {{Portal|Christianity}} * [[1755 Lisbon earthquake]] which occurred on this day and had a great effect on society and philosophy * [[Dziady]] * [[Irish calendar]] * [[Litany of the Saints]] * [[Veneration of the dead]]
==Notes== {{notelist|refs= {{efn|name=CatSaint|For example {{harvnb| Alford | 1941 | p=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).}} }}
==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite EB1911|wstitle=All Saints, Festival of |volume=1}} * {{cite journal | last=Alford | first=Violet | title=The Cat Saint | journal=Folklore | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=52 | issue=3 | year=1941 | issn=0015-587X | doi=10.1080/0015587x.1941.9718269 | pages=161–183|jstor=1257493}} {{refend}}
==Further reading== * 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== {{commons category}} {{wikiquote}} * [http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120614191007/http%3A//www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/faqs.aspx All Saints and All Souls Day] American Catholic * [http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/sermalls.htm All Saints Sunday] Orthodox England * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130530213122/http://www.liturgy.co.nz/churchyear/allsaintsvigil.html A Vigil service for All Saints] All Hallows' E'en – "Halloween" * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070614033937/http://www.transfigcathedral.org/faith/Bulgakov/0621.pdf First Sunday after Pentecost, or All Saints Sunday] by Sergei Bulgakov, ''Handbook for Church Servers'' * [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=48 Synaxis of All Saints] Icon and [[Synaxarion]] of the feast
{{Hallowtide}} {{Liturgical year of the Catholic Church}} {{Halloween}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Allhallowtide]] [[Category:Christian saints]] [[Category:November observances]] [[Category:Observances honoring the dead]] [[Category:Pantheon, Rome]] [[Category:Medieval legends]]