All Saints’ Dayalso known as “All Saints”, is a holiday with which i Christians, Catholics and Orthodox, they celebrate saints for whom there is no specific day in the calendar. The festival, which occurs every year on November 1st, originates from cult of saintsattested since the first century AD and, to a more complete extent, since 4th centurywhen the veneration of martyrs became established.
The first celebration of All Saints’ Day is also attested in the 4th century it originally fell in May: the date of November 1st was instead chosen by the Pope in the 8th century Gregory III. Since then, the celebration has gained great popularity and today in many Catholic countries it is also a civil holiday. The traditions linked to the celebration derive largely from the fact that the anniversary is contiguous to Commemoration of the deceasedwhich falls on November 2. For this reason, the most widespread custom on November 1st is to visit your relatives in the cemetery.
Why All Saints Day is celebrated: the meaning
The cult of saints is widespread in Christianity and, in different forms and measures, is present also in other religionslike Judaism and Islam.
In Christianity the cult of saints is very ancient: already in the 1st century AD, shortly after the birth of the new creed, next to the cult of Jesus that of the apostles was affirmed. In the following centuries it spread veneration of martyrs. As we know, in the first centuries Christianity was an “illegal” religion and the faithful suffered numerous persecutions by the Roman authorities. Those killed for their faith, known as martyrs (literally meaning “witnesses”), became objects of veneration. The cult established itself starting from the 4th century, when Christianity was legalized (fromConstantine’s Edict of Milan313 AD) and thereafter proclaimed the sole religion of the empire (Theodosius’ edict of Thessalonica380 AD). Since it was no longer necessary to hide Christian worship, the Church was able encourage the cult of martyrs. More specifically, Pope Damasus I, in office from 366 to 384, ordered the catacombs (i.e. the underground places where Christians were buried in the first centuries) to be restored and the tombs of the martyrs to be traced. As the years passed, the cult of saints who had not been martyredbut they had distinguished themselves for their profession of faith or other qualities.
The Catholic Church, however, admits only the veneration of saintsand not worship, which is reserved for God.
Why All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1st: the origins
All Saints’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day, falls on November 1 and is observed in Catholic countries and in those where they prevail someone other Christian denominationslike the Orthodox one. It is not recognized in Protestant countries. Celebrate all the saintsboth those canonized (officially recognized) and those anonymouswho lived in daily holiness and are already saints in Heaven, even if no one knows them by name. The idea of dedicating a day to the celebration of saints and martyrs emerged already in the 4th century: the first celebrations of the anniversary are attested to Antiocha city in Syria, as reported by two authors, Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Ephrem the Syrian, according to whom the celebration was held on Sunday following Pentecost. The celebration spread to a greater extent in the following centuries.
On May 13, 609 (or 610, according to other sources) the Pantheon of Rome was consecrated as Christian church dedicated to the Virgin and to all the martyrswith the name of Sancta Maria ad Martyres. In the following decades, the anniversary of the consecration may have become the occasion to remember all the saints. Later, Pope Gregory III (731-741) moved the celebration to November 1stdate of the consecration of an oratory in the old St. Peter’s Basilica which housed numerous relics. The choice also responded to the desire to replace ancient pagan cults: that very day, in fact, San Cesario di Terracina was celebrated, a figure associated with the Roman emperors and with traditions that the pope intended to overcome.
The fact is that, since then, the celebration of All Saints’ Day has gained great popularity. In the 9th century the ruler of the Franks, Louis the Pious, ordered that it be considered one feast of obligationthat is, a day on which all the faithful are required to participate in mass, as is still the case today; in the 15th century Pope Sixtus IV endowed the occasion with an octavethat is, it established that the following eight days were to be considered holidays. The octave was abolished by the Second Vatican Councilbut the celebration of the anniversary has not lost its importance.
How All Saints’ Day is celebrated in Italy and around the world: the traditions
Today the feast of All Saints is popular throughout the Catholic world and also in some countries where other Christian denominations prevail. In several Catholic countries, includingItalyis considered one civil holidaywith schools and offices closed.
All Saints’ Day traditions are connected to the Commemoration of the deceasedwhich falls on November 2. In Italy and other countries it is tradition to do visit the deceased in cemeteriesoften taking care of embellishing the tombs with flowers and votive lamps. The tradition is widespread throughout Catholic Europe and in many countries on the American continent. In Mexico, for example, November 1st is considered the first day of commemoration of the deceased and is dedicated to children who died at a young age (while November 2nd is dedicated to the commemoration of deceased adults).
In the United States and Canada, the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day partly influenced the birth of the name of the festival of Halloweenwhich however has its origins in the most ancient Celtic festival of Samhainwhich marked the beginning of winter. Over time, the anniversary took on an above all secular and popular character. In Italy, the November 1st it is also the name day of those who wear a adespot namethat is, not linked to a calendar saint.
