Hallowmas
All Saints' Day is a Christian holy day celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are known or unknown.
From the 4th century, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held in various places, 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 November 1st, and in the 9th century this was extended to the whole Catholic Church by Pope Gregory IV.
In Western Christianity, it is celebrated on November 1st by the Roman Catholic Church as well as by many Protestant Churches, such as the Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions. With respect to its festal ranking, All Saints' Day is a solemnity in Catholicism and a festival in Lutheranism. The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic and Eastern Lutheran churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. 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. In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, All Saints' Day is on Nayrouz, celebrated on September 11th. The day is the start of the Coptic new year, and of its first month, Thout.
In the Western Christian practice, the liturgical celebration begins with its first vespers on the evening of October 31st, All Hallows' Eve (All Saints' Eve or Hallowe'en), and ends at the compline of November 1st. It is thus the day before All Souls' Day, which commemorates the faithful departed. In many traditions, All Saints' Day is part of the season of Allhallowtide, which includes the three days from October 31st to November 3rd inclusive, as well as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (held on the first Sunday of November), and in some Christian denominations, such as Anglicanism, extends to Remembrance Sunday. In places where All Saints' Day is observed as a public holiday, cemetery and grave rituals such as offerings of flowers, candles and prayers or blessings for the graves of loved ones often take place on All Saints' Day (along with other days of Allsaintstide, especially on All Hallows Eve and All Souls Day). The use of candles by Christians symbolized the light of Christ and the use of lamps at the tombs of Christian martyrs dates back to the early Christian period. In Austria and Germany, godparents gift their godchildren Allerheiligenstriezel (All Saint's Braid) on All Saint's Day, while the practice of souling remains popular in Portugal. It is a national holiday in many Christian countries.
The Christian celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the "Church triumphant"), the living (the "Church militant"), and the "Church penitent" which includes the faithful departed. In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. The Lutheran branch of Christianity, on All Hallows' Day, remembers "those blessed fellow-believers who died in the Lord and are now at rest even as we wait with them for the Last Day and the resurrection of the body to eternal life with Christ." In Methodist theology, All Saints' Day revolves around "giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints", including those who are "famous or obscure". As such, individuals throughout the Church Universal are honoured, such as Paul the Apostle, Augustine of Hippo and other saints, varying according to the hagiographic traditions of the Church in question. In some traditions, the day is also used to celebrate individuals who have personally led one to faith in Jesus, such as one's grandmother or friend.
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