All Saints' Day

"The Feast of All Saints" redirects here. For the 1978 novel by Anne Rice, see The Feast of All Saints (novel).

All Saints' Day
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs by Fra Angelico
Also calledAll Hallows' Day
Hallowmas
Allhallowmas
Feast of All Saints
Feast of All Hallows
Solemnity of All Saints
Observed by
Liturgical colorWhite (Western Christianity)
Green (Eastern Christianity)
TypeChristian
ObservancesChurch services, praying for the dead, visiting cemeteries
Date1 November (Western Christianity)
Sunday after Pentecost (Eastern Christianity)
FrequencyAnnual
Related to

All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day,[3] the Feast of All Saints,[4][5] the Feast of All Hallows,[6] the Solemnity of All Saints,[6] and Hallowmas,[6][7] is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are known or unknown.[7][8][9][10]

From the 4th century, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held in various places,[3] 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 1 November, and in the 9th century this a was extended to the whole Catholic Church by Pope Gregory IV.[11]

In Western Christianity, it is still celebrated on 1 November by the Western Catholic Church as well as by many Protestant churches, such as the Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions.[7] The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic and Eastern Lutheran churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after Pentecost.[12] 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 Sunday.[13] In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, All Saints' Day is on Nayrouz, celebrated on 11 September. The day is the start of the Coptic new year, and of its first month, Thout.[14]

  1. ^ Marty, Martin E. (2007). Lutheran questions, Lutheran answers: exploring Christian faith. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress. p. 127. ISBN 978-0806653501. All Lutherans celebrate All Saints Day, and many sing, 'For all the saints, who from their labors rest…'
  2. ^ Willimon, William H. (2007). United Methodist Beliefs. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-1611640618.
    Iovino, Joe (28 October 2015). "All Saints Day: A holy day John Wesley loved". umc.org. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
    Johnson, M.E. (2000). Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year. A Pueblo book. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-6025-6. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
    "Ways to remember the lives and work of church saints". ResourceUMC.org. United Methodist Church. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Hopwood2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ The Anglican Service Book. Good Shepherd Press. 1991. p. 677. ISBN 978-0962995507.
  5. ^ St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. "Homily on the Feast of All Saints of Russia". St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Illes, Judika (11 October 2011). Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else!. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-209854-2. 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.
  7. ^ a b c Crain, Alex (29 October 2021). "All Saints' Day – The Meaning and History Behind the November 1st Holiday". Christianity.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2021. 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.
  8. ^ "All Saints' Day". Washington, D.C.: Saint George's Episcopal Church. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021. 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.
  9. ^ "All Saints' Day | Definition, History, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  10. ^ Lourenço, André (1 November 2023). "All Saint's Day - History & Origin". BIBLIOTECA DO PREGADOR (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  11. ^ Mershman, Francis (1907). "All Saints' Day" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  12. ^ Sidhu, Salatiel; Baldovin, John Francis (2013). Holidays and Rituals of Jews and Christians. AuthorHouse. p. 193. ISBN 978-1481711401. 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.
  13. ^ "Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar 2016" (PDF). syromalabarchurch.in. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  14. ^ "The Coptic Syndrome of Trying to Find Coptic Origins to Arab Words: Nayrouz as an Example". On Coptic Nationalism فى القومية القبطية. 14 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.