All Saints' Day

Historical development

The feast developed out of early Christian practices for commemorating martyrs and local lists of holy persons. By the medieval period a general commemoration of all saints on a single day became widespread in the Western Church, and ecclesiastical authorities encouraged its observance in the liturgy. The older English names for the day include All Hallows and Hallowmas; the evening before, All Hallows' Eve, has been associated in popular culture with customs that evolved into modern Halloween.

Liturgical meaning and related observances

For Roman Catholics the day is often observed as a solemnity and, in many places, a holy day of obligation, with Masses and special prayers; see official guidance from the Catholic Church. The following day, All Souls' Day (November 2 in Western usage), is principally devoted to praying for the faithful departed. The pair of days thus links praise for those already with God to intercession for relatives and others who have died.

Common customs and popular practice

• Public worship, special readings and hymns remembering holiness and the hope of resurrection.
• Visiting cemeteries, cleaning and decorating graves, and lighting candles as signs of remembrance and prayer.
• Processions, blessings of graves and community commemorations in many countries.
• Local foods, votive offerings and charitable acts in memory of the dead; some regional traditions, such as Mexico's Día de los Muertos, reflect related but distinct cultural forms of remembrance.

Variations between Christian traditions

Not all Christian communions observe the feast on the same date. Many Anglicans and Lutherans mark November 1, while most Eastern Orthodox churches commemorate all saints on the Sunday after Pentecost. Civil recognition varies: in some countries the day is a public holiday and a time for family remembrance; in others it is observed primarily within church communities.

For further liturgical and historical information consult denominational resources and respected overviews: official Catholic material (Catholic resources), general date guides (date summaries), material on All Souls' Day, explanations of the communion of saints and historical notes on martyrs.