Nov 1, 2017
All Saints' Day In the United States
Many Catholic churches in the United States according to timeanddate.com celebrate All Saints' Day to honor all the saints, particularly those who do not have their own special feast day, on November 1.
What Do People Do?
All Saints' Day is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day, and it's celebrated in many areas of the United States, especially where there are large Roman Catholic populations.
In New Orleans, for example, people gather in local cemeteries and decorate the graves with flowers. The descendants of French Canadian settlers around St Martinsville, Louisiana, observe this day in the traditional French manner by laying wreaths and bouquets and lighting candles on even the most obscure graves.
All Saints' Day, which is celebrated globally, is closely tied with All Souls’ Day, which was first instituted at the monastery in Cluny, France in 993 CE and quickly spread among Christians. Some eastern churches in the United States celebrated All Saints' Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
Day After Halloween
All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are also closely linked with Halloween, which is a shortened for the name “All Hallows' Eve”.
In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is observed on the first Sunday in November to remember deceased members of the local church congregation. A candle is lit as each person's name is called out, followed by a prayer offered for each soul.
Many Latin American communities in the United States hold celebrations around November 1 and 2, linking with All Saints’ Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). These celebrations are part of the Day of the Dead, also known as Día de los Muertos.
Public Life
All Saints’ Day is not a federal public holiday in the United States.
Background
According to some sources, the idea for All Saints' Day goes back to the fourth century when the Greek Christians kept a festival on the first Sunday after Pentecost (in late May or early June) in honor of all martyrs and saints. Other sources say that a commemoration of “All Martyrs” began to be celebrated as early as 270 CE, but no specific month or date is recorded.
Pope Gregory IV made All Saints' Day an authorized holiday in 837 CE. It is speculated that the chosen date for the event, November 1, may have been an attempt to supplant pagan festivals that occurred around the same time.
Symbols
Symbols commonly associated with All Saints’ Day are:
A sheaf of wheat.
Rayed Manus Dei (hand of God).
The crown.
Symbols / images of saints.
The liturgical color is white on All Saints' Day.
About All Saints' Day in Other Countries
All Saints' Day is a celebration of all Christian saints, particularly those who have no special feast days of their own, in many Roman Catholic, Anglican and Protestant churches. In many western churches it is annually held November 1 and in many eastern churches it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day.
Wheat is one of the symbols of All Saints' Day.
©iStockphoto.com/Willie B. Thomas
What Do People Do?
All Saints' Day is observed by Christians in many countries around the world. In countries such as Spain, Portugal and Mexico, offerings are made on this day. In countries such as Belgium, Hungary and Italy people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In other parts of Europe, such as Austria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania, it is customary to light candles on top of visiting graves of deceased relatives. It is also observed in parts of Asia, such as the Philippines, where people visit graves of deceased relatives and clean or repair them. They also lay flowers on the graves and light candles.
In France church services in memory of all the saints are held on November 1 but by the evening the focus turns towards the dead. Cemeteries everywhere are crowded with people who come to clean and decorate family graves. All Saints' Day is closely tied with All Souls' Day, held on November 2, which is dedicated to prayers of the dead who are not yet glorified.
Public Life
All Saints’ Day is a public holiday in many countries such as (but not exclusive to):
Austria.
Belgium.
Bolivia.
Chile.
Croatia.
France.
Parts of Germany.
Hungary.
Italy.
Liechtenstein.
The Philippines.
Poland.
Portugal.
Spain.
Sweden (first Saturday of November) .
Parts of Switzerland.
It is not a nationwide public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States. However, many Christians observe All Saints’ Day in these and other countries.
Image: All Saints' Day - clipartpanda.com
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