The History of All Saints Day
All Saints Day is a day of remembrance that honors Christianity's saints and martyrs, known and unknown. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches celebrate the day on Nov. 1. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Both All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve, celebrated the day before, have roots in ancient Celtic beliefs and practices.
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All Hallows Eve
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The ancient pagan Celtic religions go back as far as 3,500 B.C., when the Celts worshiped nature, gods and goddesses. The Celts were close to their deities, especially through mythology. At some point in prehistory, All Hallows Eve became a night when the deities walked on earth, and it began to be celebrated as a Festival of the Dead. That night the village came together to remember the dead with food, masks and bonfires. The date for All Hallows Eve was Oct. 31. In recent times All Hallows Eve has become secularized and is now celebrated as Halloween.
Samhain
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During Samhain, turnips were carved with faces, instead of pumpkins. The Irish celebrated Samhain (SOW-in) on Nov. 1, the day after All Hallows Eve. A continuation of the previous day's festival, it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Together All Hallows Eve and Samhain celebrated death and rebirth. When Christianity came to Ireland in the fifth century, it incorporated the Celtic traditions from Samhain as a way to convert the Irish people. These ideas and traditions then made their way into early European Christianity.
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Early Christianity
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Followers of Jesus Christ began marking the days when martyrs had died for their beliefs early in Christianity. Usually these celebrations were local and were held where the person had been martyred. By the second century, the idea of communal anniversaries for martyrs started to take hold. At this time the only saint included was St. John the Baptist. St. Basil of Caesarea, bishop of Antioch, invited his bishops to a dinner in 375 A.D., the first formal commemoration held. By the fourth century, Catholic bishops in Rome also had begun celebrating dinners of remembrance.
Later Christianity
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Through the sixth and seventh centuries, the practice of annual communal celebrations became widespread. As the Catholic Church grew and canonized more saints, they began to be recognized along with martyrs. Pope Boniface IV, around 610 A. D., declared May 13 as an anniversary date for the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the martyrs. Around 710 A. D., Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel at the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome to all the saints. He chose Nov. 1 as the date of an annual mass in their honor. Pope Gregory IV declared that date as All Saints Day for the entire Catholic Church in 837 A. D.
Other Churches
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The Anglican and many Lutheran churches kept the tradition of All Saints Day, observing it on Nov. 1. Some Protestant churches mark All Saints Day on local days that have special significance for them. The Eastern Orthodox Church retained All Saints Day in its liturgy even after it separated from the Western or Roman Catholic, Church in the 11th century. On All Saints' Day special scripture readings and hymns glorify all the saints, known and unknown.
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- Photo Credit three saints image by Mary Lane from Fotolia.com Navets_Gros_Tas_1 image by Perrodactyle from Fotolia.com
