In the Western Christian tradition, November 1 is a very holy holiday that commemorates all the great saints who have passed away. The All Saints Day 2023 is very important to all Christians as they pay homage to both known and unknown saints. On this day people put flowers and light candles on the graves of loved ones. It is also known as Feast of All Saints, Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas.
All the churches are filled with religious people on this date. The origin of the day is not known for sure, but it is celebrated at different times from place to place. Perhaps you are interested to know more about this day. This article will give you some reliable information about its history. Also you can know about its celebration.
When is All Saints Day 2023?
All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1, but it is in America. Other countries have different dates for this day. But despite the different dates, the purpose and significance of observing this day is the same. All great saints are remembered on this day.
November is considered a dark month of the year by Celtic communities for several reasons. Perhaps because of agriculture, and changes in climate, people recognized this period as dark. That is why they consider the month of November suitable for celebrating Saints Day. Their belief is that by remembering the great dead, they will be able to overcome the darkness.
History & Significance of All Saints Day:
609 A.D. or 610 A.D. In turn, Boniface IV instituted an anniversary on May 13 to commemorate the Virgin Mary and other martyrs. The reason for choosing the 13th of May is that many churches commemorated the dead and martyrs on this day. But later the saint’s day was fixed to be celebrated on 1 November.
According to history, it was decided to observe this day as a public holiday under the leadership of various government officials and it has been in practice since then. People attend various public gatherings on this day. While these public gathering rules may differ slightly from country to country, the purpose does not.
If the scheduled date falls on a Sunday, the public meeting is organized. No public meeting is required on any day other than this. Various events are held on this day to honor the great lives and faithfulness of those who have left the world. They believe in this contribution of saints and they meet in different churches to celebrate the day. But you will find most people in churches.
Why Do We Celebrate All Saints Day?
There are many reasons behind celebrating Saints Day. Apart from thanking and paying homage to the saints, people have much more to gain from this day. People believe that faith in saints will make their lives more auspicious. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe the contributions of earlier saints. They were saints and special people and are still remembered by all. You can also consider this day as a day of thanksgiving because many people became followers of Jesus because of those saints.
Saints were human like us but their crimes were comparatively less. On this Day of Remembrance we remember our departed and visit where they were buried. Although many compare it to Halloween, it has nothing to do with Halloween because the spirits can do some harmful things on Halloween whereas this day is a symbol of holiness.
Earlier many saints were blessed by God and they told others to obey God. Even though they are no longer alive, their ideals still exist that you can follow through the observance of the day.
