All Saints’ Day 2024: date, history and meaning of this day

Every year, the day after the spooky Halloween holiday, All Saints’ Day celebrated November 1to honor all the saints, known or unknown, who have reached heaven. It is celebrated on the second day of the three-day All Saints period, which begins on Halloween (October 31) or All Hallows’ Eve and ends All Souls Day (Nov. 2), marking the time when Catholics and other Christians remember deceased family members and saints in heaven.
All Hallows’ Day is also called “All Hallows’ Day”, a term that also points to the origins of the word “Halloween”, given that the day preceding All Hallows’ Day is called “All Hallows’ Eve”.
Traditionally, Catholic Church considers All Saints’ Day to be a holy day and encourages the faithful to attend Mass and participate in prayers in honor of these revered figures.

History and meaning of All Saints’ Day

The origins of All Saints’ Day go back to early Christian history, when on May 13 the Eastern Church held a holiday in honor of the martyrs mentioned by St. Ephraim the Syrian in the 4th century. This date later inspired Pope Boniface IVdedication of the Pantheon in Rome to the Virgin Mary and the martyrs in 609. By the beginning of the 8th century Pope Gregory III set November 1 as the day of this celebration and consecrated the chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome to all saints. Under Pope Gregory IV in 837, All Saints’ Day was officially celebrated throughout the Western Church on this day.

Celebration of All Saints’ Day

All Saints’ Day is dedicated to family reunions and a day to honor and remember saints. During this time, people visit the cemeteries of saints, light candles, attend mass, pray and sing.
While Halloween involves wearing spooky costumes, many people dress up as saints to celebrate All Saints’ Day. According to USA Today, some of the places people visit on All Hallows’ Day are St. Catharine Drexel National Shrine in Philadelphia, Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton National Shrine in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

All Saints’ Day is celebrated with different traditions in different parts of the world. In Austria and Bavaria, godfathers give their godchildren “Allerheiligenstriesel”, that is, braided yeast dough. In Belgium, people visit cemeteries to lay flowers on the graves of deceased relatives, since All Souls’ Day is not a holiday for them. In Germany, it is celebrated as a day of silence, when public entertainment of a frivolous nature is prohibited.
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