All Saints’ Day

Newsletter Articles _ _ _ All Saints’ Day _

Many churches in Australia mark All Saints' Day on November 1 each year to honour all the saints, particularly those who do not have their own special feast day.

What do people do? All Saints’ Day is a day for many people of Christian faith in Australia to remember and honor the saints. Some churches hold a special service or mass on All Saints’ Day. Some masses may feature music composed during the Renaissance. Many Christian schools may have lessons for students to learn about the role of saints in the history of Christianity at this time of the year. Special masses are held and prayers are made. However, some news reports have stated that events such as All Saints’ Day are less recognized in Australia modern times.

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 honour 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 the pagan Festival of the Dead (also known as Samhain or the feast of Saman, lord of death). All Saints' Day, which is celebrated globally, is closely tied with All Souls' Day, which was first instituted at the monastery in Cluny in 993 CE and quickly spread throughout the Christian world. All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are also linked with Halloween, which is a shortened for the name “All Hallows' Eve”.

Symbols Symbols commonly associated with All Saints’ Day are:  A sheaf of wheat.  Rayed Manus Dei (hand of God).  The crown.  Symbols (including images) of individual saints. The liturgical colour is white on All Saints' Day.