When is All Saints' Day celebrated? All Saints' Day

HISTORY OF ALL SAINTS DAY

In the 4th century, the first mentions of this holiday began to appear. In the sermon of St. John Chrysostom (IV century) he glorifies “ all the saints around the world who suffered” and indicates a special day of their veneration. St. Petersburg also mentions this holiday in his hymns. Ephraim the Syrian (IV century).

Around the 5th century, the celebration in honor of All Saints began to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Trinity; later this holiday was officially assigned to this date by the Church.

ALL SAINTS DAY

The Church considers the main idea of this day to be the glorification of all the Saints, who are our intercessors before God and helpers in prayers to the Lord throughout our lives. We often turn to one or another Saint and ask them to help pray to the Lord for us, and Saints often respond to these requests, because they see our efforts in finding our spiritual path, in forgiveness and repentance.

It is no coincidence that All Saints' Day is celebrated immediately after. After all, Trinity is considered the Birthday of the Church and, like a small sprout planted in the ground, She blossomed in the person of the holy martyrs and confessors, saints, saints and holy fools.

None of these people were born saints. They were not sinless, they all had some sins, but the most important thing is to realize them and sincerely repent. Church canons warn the Orthodox that saints cannot be considered sinless.
The Gospel says that even sinners enter heaven. To the right of the crucified Savior, a thief hung on the cross, who in the last minutes of his life repented to God and asked Jesus Christ:

“Remember me, Lord, when You come in Your Kingdom”

In this short sentence one could feel faith in Jesus, in His Divinity and the thief’s readiness to repent. She turned out to be sincere, otherwise this man would not have gone to heaven.

People came to their holiness in different ways, but the result was God's grace, which, according to St. John of Damascus, made them " pure dwellings of God».

God's grace comes with the Holy Spirit, so people who prayed earnestly to the Lord and worked to "acquire" the Holy Spirit were strong in their faith. They were given a lot, but this gift of God was honestly “earned” by them and they did not “keep” this gift to themselves; with God’s help they helped people.

At a time when Rus' was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars, Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky visited the Horde more than once, all the time softening the Tatar Khan with his meekness. Thus, he practically saved Rus' from the extermination of Christianity by the Tatars; the invaders practically did not touch Orthodox churches and did not force our people to worship their gods.
The revered Russian Saint, Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, more than once came to the princes and asked them for mercy in the form of relief for his peasants, and it was not surprising that the Saint’s requests were fulfilled, because he was strong in the Holy Spirit.

It is unknown how many Saints there are in Christianity. The feat of many people will remain unknown to people. Only God knows about this. He knows everything - about the deaths for faith in Christ, about the torment, about the work of ascetic monks who lived in difficult conditions, renouncing the world, and prayed for us people before the Lord.

After a godless time, the exploits of many thousands of ordinary people who ended up in Soviet camps for their faith became known. These people “only” preached the Gospel, love for God and people, honesty and decency in their lives, and not Marxism-Leninism. While tortured, they were tempted with freedom for signing on a piece of paper, which stated that there is no God. At the cost of their health or even their lives, they did not renounce God. These are real Saints!
But in our understanding, they were ordinary people, they also went to shops, studied, worked, lived a simple life, these people lived quite recently and there are still those who saw them, who talked to them.
It turns out that God's grace does not go back to the early or middle ages, it is very close to us.
To be closer to God, it is necessary, as with everything in life, to make an effort, as did those people whose memory is honored on All Saints’ Day, who acquired the Holy Spirit and found the anointing of grace.

All Saints' Day is not a holiday in the sense that we perceive the word. This, to be more precise, is veneration and thanksgiving to them, pure and bright people who worked miracles for the glory of God. Who did not spare their lives for the glory of Christ, won the love and respect of people.

We are all under someone's protection and patronage; each person at baptism received a name in honor of some saint. It is very useful to read about your patron, how he lived, why he became a saint. Perhaps his example will help us become at least a little like him, improve our lives and learn to live the way your patron saint did.

In his sermon on All Saints' Day, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said:

“If we want to give glory to the saints, glorify our saint, justify that this name has been entrusted to us, we must learn to live as he lived, as Christ lived, as we are called to live. Otherwise, every praise that we utter to a saint will someday be a reproach to us: he knew - and did not do it ... "

SERVICE ON ALL SAINTS' DAY

On Sunday, at the morning service, the eleven Gospels are read, telling about the resurrection of Christ. And at the evening Sunday service, excerpts from the Old Testament are read to the Glory of the Saints.

At the morning service the next day, Monday, a liturgy is held, at which the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Romans are read (during the Easter period, the Acts of the Holy Apostles and the Gospel of John were read).

On the same day, Orthodox Christians begin the Apostolic (Petrov) Fast.

WHO ARE THE SAINTS

In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother, to the Holy Angels and Holy People.

The Mother of God stands above all the Saints, she is closest to God. Angels are “messengers” from God, disembodied spirits who carry out His will.
Pleasers of God- these are holy people who pleased God with their righteous life on earth. They pray to God for us and help us.
Prophets- the saints who lived before the coming of Jesus Christ predicted the future, mainly about the Savior.
Apostles - disciples of Jesus Christ, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, they preached the Christian faith throughout all countries. At first there were twelve apostles closest to the Lord, and then seventy more were called. Peter and Paul are the Supreme Apostles; they worked more than others in spreading Christianity. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Evangelist are the Evangelists who wrote about the life of Jesus Christ.
Equal to the Apostles - saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ on Earth (the blessed kings Constantine and Helen, the blessed Holy Prince Vladimir).
Martyrs - accepted cruel torture or death for the faith of Christ.
Confessors- saints who died peacefully later, after suffering torment.
Great Martyrs- saints who died after severe suffering (Holy Great Martyr George (the Victorious), Holy Great Martyrs Barbara, Catherine).
Saints - bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous lives (St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow).
Hieromartyrs- saints who suffered torment for Christ.
Universal teachers- these are the teachers of the entire Christian Church (Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom).
Reverends- these are righteous people who have retired from worldly life and observed a vow of celibacy, who have pleased God. They mostly lived in deserts and monasteries (Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov).
Venerable Martyrs- saints who suffered torment for Christ.
Righteous - lived like us in the world, were family people and led a righteous life pleasing to God (Righteous Saints Joachim and Anna).
Unmercenary - They healed people without any payment, healing physical and mental illnesses (healer Panteleimon, Cosmas and Damian).
Fool for Christ's sake - people who, for the sake of Christ, show the world strange actions, but in fact are filled with deep wisdom. They are also called blessed (Xenia of Petersburg).

It was known in the early Christian church. Then all Christians were called saints, as having received new life in baptism and from now on belonging to Christ. “To the saints who are in Ephesus”, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi” - this is how the Apostle Paul addressed his messages, addressing the first Christians. The first Christians whom the church began to honor in a special way were those who died for the faith. The first known venerated martyr is considered to be Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, whose martyrdom was described in detail in the “District Epistle of the Church of Smyrna to other Churches,” dating from the year 155. In this document, the remains of the martyr are called more valuable than gold and precious stones. The message testified to the existence of the custom of preserving the relics of martyrs as a precious relic and honoring the burial place. Similar celebrations and prayers at the graves of martyrs for the faith were accepted everywhere where their burials were located. The day of veneration of these holy ascetics was usually considered the day of death, which began to be called their birthday for heaven.

Subsequently, the cult of the martyrs spread to all local churches and, in addition to the days of remembrance of individual martyrs, a general holiday began to be celebrated in their honor. Saint John Chrysostom testifies that the Byzantine Church honored the memory of all martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In East Syrian worship, the day of remembrance of the martyrs was the first Friday after Easter.

In the Western Church, the holiday was introduced in the 6th century and was initially celebrated, as in the East, on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

Later the holiday was moved to May 13, which was associated with the consecration of the temple in Rome (May 13, 610), rebuilt by Pope Boniface IV from the pagan Pantheon, in honor of the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs (S. Maria ad Martyres).

By this day, 28 carts of the remains of Christians who gave their lives for the faith were transported from the catacombs to the church. The annual commemoration of this event became the first celebration of the day, which is now known as the Solemnity of All Saints. Some time later, under Pope Gregory III, the concept of holiness expanded and began to include those who endured persecution and suffering for their faith in Christ, even when the persecution did not end in martyrdom, and then also ascetics who became famous for their virtuous lives - "all the blameless righteous who have fallen asleep throughout the entire circle of the earth."

Pope Gregory IV officially introduced the feast of All Saints into church practice, moving it to November 1. The time of celebration was moved from spring to autumn, following the example of England and Ireland, where by this time it had been customary for more than a hundred years to commemorate all saints on this day.

Until the 11th century, holiness was evidenced by the popular veneration of one or another ascetic or martyr. The first officially canonized saint was Saint Ulric of Augsburg - his canonization process was completed in 1093, 120 years after his death.

The Solemnity of All Saints is one of the obligatory holidays of the Catholic Church; all Christians should participate in it, except those who cannot do so for serious reasons.

The liturgical prayers of All Saints' Day glorify God, the only source of holiness, express faith in the immortality of the saints, and also appeal to their intercession. The readings from the Holy Scriptures, in turn, reproduce the ethical code of Christianity (the eight “beatitudes” from the Sermon on the Mount) and testify to the presence of countless armies of saints.

All Saints' Day is followed by All Souls' Day, which is celebrated on November 2. In addition, for eight days, starting from November 1, it is customary to celebrate requiem masses, and the faithful are invited to especially intense prayer for the departed dear to their hearts.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

It is movable and is always celebrated on the following Sunday after Trinity.

The essence of the holiday for both Orthodox and Catholics is the same - the veneration of all Saints, starting from the earliest centuries of Christianity, who, having heard the Word of God, accepted Him into their hearts and, following Christ, saved their souls.

When did the holiday originate?

The memory of the Saints has been revered since the early Christian church, when all Christians were called Saints, as having received new life in baptism and from now on belonging to Christ. The first Christians whom the church began to honor in a special way were those who died for the faith.

It is unknown how many saints there are in Christianity. The feat of thousands will never be known, including the martyrs of the first centuries of the Christian Church, torn to pieces by wild animals in the circus arena for their faith in Christ.

Cities of the world. Vatican There is much evidence of the custom of preserving the relics of martyrs as a precious relic and honoring the burial site. Similar celebrations and prayers at the graves of martyrs for the faith were accepted everywhere where their burials were located.

The day of veneration of these Holy Ascetics was usually considered the day of death, which began to be called their birthday for heaven. Subsequently, the cult of the martyrs spread to all local churches and, in addition to the days of remembrance of individual martyrs, a general holiday began to be celebrated in their honor.

The first mention of All Saints' Day was noted in the 4th century. Saint John Chrysostom testifies that the Byzantine Church honored the memory of all martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

In the western church

The holiday was introduced in the 6th century and was initially celebrated, as in the East, on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The holiday was later moved to May 13, the day of the consecration of the temple in Rome in 610 in honor of the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs (S. Maria ad Martyres), which was rebuilt from the pagan pantheon under Pope Boniface IV.

By order of Pope Gregory III, the holiday, which was renamed All Saints' Day, was moved from the 8th century to November 1 - with this the Christian church wanted to eradicate the pagan traditions of celebrating the Celtic New Year.

Cities of the world. Vatican In Old English, the pre-holiday night sounded like All Hallows Even, or abbreviated as Hallowe'en, and then even shorter - Halloween. This is how the modern name of the Halloween holiday appeared, which is celebrated to this day.

The Solemnity of All Saints is one of the obligatory holidays of the Catholic Church; all Christians should participate in it, except those who cannot do so for serious reasons.

The liturgical prayers of All Saints' Day glorify God - the only source of holiness, express faith in the immortality of the saints, and also appeal to their intercession.

For Catholics, All Saints' Day is followed by All Souls' Day, which is celebrated on November 2.

In Orthodoxy

The Cathedral of All Saints is an annual moving holiday, which was celebrated on June 11 in 2017. In all Orthodox churches on this day, a festive liturgy is held, canons of praise are read and a general prayer service is served in honor of all followers of Jesus Christ - prophets, martyrs, confessors, hermits, saints, saints, holy fools for Christ's sake.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra It is no coincidence that this day was appointed after the holiday of the Trinity, because it is the Trinity that is considered the day of the formation of the Orthodox Church. Through the efforts and sacrifices of people who believed, Orthodoxy was spread throughout the world, and as a reward, all those who contributed to this were accepted as equals in the Kingdom of Heaven.

On this day, festive services are held in all churches and the deeds of the servants of the Lord are remembered. At the morning liturgy, all the Gospels, which tell the story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, are traditionally read.

First prayer

Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the angels with a thrice-holy voice in heaven, praised on earth by man in His saints, giving grace to each by Your Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining to the Church of Your Holy Ones apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, whose word of preaching, to You who acts all in all, has been accomplished in many ways, saints in every generation and generation, having pleased You with various benefactors, and to You, having left us the image of your good deeds, in the joy that has passed, prepare, in He himself was tempted, and he helped us those who were attacked. All these saints and (the name of the saint) remembering and praising their godly lives, I praise You Samago, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, the gift of being, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant to me a sinner to follow their teaching, life, love, faith, long-suffering, and their prayerful help, and moreover Your all-effective grace, the heavenly ones with them will be honored with glory, praising Your Most Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Second prayer

O blessed saints of God, all the saints who stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity and enjoy indescribable bliss! Behold, now, on the day of your common triumph, mercifully look upon us, your lesser brothers, who bring you this song of praise and through your intercession asking for mercy and remission of sins from the Most Blessed Lord: we know, truly we know, for all that you desire, ask Him you can. Therefore, we humbly pray to you: pray to the merciful Master, may he give us the spirit of your zeal for keeping His holy commandments, so that, following in your footsteps, we will be able to pass through the earthly field in a virtuous life without vice and in repentance reach the glorious villages of paradise, and there, together with with you glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

The material was prepared based on open sources

Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day annually on November 1 - this is one of the ten main holidays of the Roman Catholic liturgical year, which has the rank of a great celebration.

All Saints' Day is also celebrated by the Orthodox - the date of the holiday in the Orthodox Church is moveable and is always celebrated on the next Sunday after Trinity.

When did the holiday originate?

There is much evidence of the custom of preserving the relics of martyrs as a precious relic and honoring the burial place. Similar celebrations and prayers at the graves of martyrs for the faith were accepted everywhere where their burials were located.

The first mention of All Saints' Day was noted in the 4th century. Saint John Chrysostom testifies that the Byzantine Church honored the memory of all martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

In the western church

In Old English, the pre-holiday night sounded like All Hallows Even, or abbreviated as Hallowe'en, and then even shorter as Halloween. This is how the modern name for the Halloween holiday appeared, which is celebrated to this day.

The Solemnity of All Saints is one of the obligatory holidays of the Catholic Church; all Christians should participate in it, except those who cannot do so for serious reasons.

The liturgical prayers of All Saints' Day glorify God, the sole source of holiness, express faith in the immortality of the saints, and also appeal to their intercession.

For Catholics, All Saints' Day is followed by All Souls' Day, which is celebrated on November 2.

In Orthodoxy

The Cathedral of All Saints is an annual moving holiday, which in 2018 will be celebrated on June 3. In all Orthodox churches on this day, a festive liturgy is held, canons of praise are read and a general prayer service is served in honor of all the followers of Jesus Christ - prophets, martyrs, confessors, hermits, saints, saints, holy fools for Christ's sake.

It is no coincidence that this day was appointed after the holiday of the Trinity, because it is the Trinity that is considered the day of the formation of the Orthodox Church. Through the efforts and sacrifices of people who believed, Orthodoxy was spread throughout the world, and as a reward, all those who contributed to this were accepted as equals in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Prayers

First prayer

Second prayer

The material was prepared based on open sources

According to one version, this holiday originally appeared among the Celts and for them it meant the beginning of the New Year. Halloween is like New Year's Eve and was called Samhain, and November 1 had nothing to do with All Saints' Day. It was a mystical holiday when the so-called Seeds, or more simply put, evil spirits, descended to earth. They did not bring anything good into the houses and tried in every possible way to protect themselves from them.

But All Saints' Day was originally established on May 13 by Pope Boniface IV and it was dedicated to all the great martyrs who suffered for Christ. But there is also a version that this holiday was introduced by Pope Gregory the Fourth in 835. For several more centuries, All Saints' Day was celebrated in the spring, but already in the 11th century it was moved to November 1, and to this day all Catholics celebrate it in late autumn. Thus, Catholics wanted to eradicate paganism and replace all holidays with Christian ones. Over time, the meaning of the holiday has changed. Now it is the day of all saints and great martyrs, in whose honor there is no holiday established during the year.

Zadushki or All Souls' Day

This is another name for All Souls' Day and is celebrated the day after All Saints' Day, which is November 2. It was installed by Odilon of Cluny. Initially, it was intended for those believers who, after death, need prayers and are in purgatory.

On this day, it is also customary for Catholics to visit cemeteries and light candles for the dead. It is noteworthy that on this day Catholics do not just need to come to the cemetery and light a candle, but along the way they need to stop four times and say a prayer. The fifth time you need to stop after returning from the cemetery and also pray for the deceased.

How Catholics Celebrate All Saints' Day

Like any religious holiday, All Saints' Day usually begins in churches, so on November 1, all Catholics rush to churches and perform the so-called Litany, that is, they pray to all the saints. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the Litany is the oldest prayer among Catholics.

And after the church, everyone rushes to the cemetery to honor the memory of the dead. By its nature, this holiday can still be compared with our Easter. After all, it is celebrated not only by believers, but also by people who do not attend churches. All Saints' Day has become a more popular holiday. If you weren’t able to go to the graves of your relatives on the first of the month, then on November 2 this can also be done, it’s not for nothing that this is the day of remembrance of the dead.

Quite often you can hear that in Orthodoxy almost all holidays have pagan roots. Well, Catholics have not gone far either, and this is evidenced by the holiday of All Saints' Day. After all, around this period, the Romans had another holiday - the day of Feralia and on the next day the holiday of Pomona, which would have been established to honor the dead. Therefore, since ancient times, on All Saints' Day, the tradition of remembering the dead has been established. It is worth noting that Pomona in ancient times was considered the goddess of tree fruits. Perhaps that is why the beginning of November was also associated with the end of the harvest and the beginning of preparations for winter.

How All Saints' Day is celebrated in different countries

The world is better known for the eve of All Hallows' Day - Halloween. However, it is worth noting that in many countries November 1 is considered a holiday and a day off and is celebrated with special trepidation, with the fulfillment of all traditions. These countries include: Poland, Italy, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Luxembourg and Portugal. And in each country it is celebrated differently. We will talk about the holiday customs in some of them.

All Saints' Day in Poland

On this day in Poland it is customary to distribute coins to the poor and feed the poor. Many housewives bake scraps a day or two before the holiday and feed them to the poor. It is believed that in this way people pay respect and honor to their deceased relatives. By the way, the bread was baked according to the number of dead people remembered. And when they are given to the poor, they ask them to say a word about their relatives in their prayer.

By the way, in Poland on November 1 it is considered a bad omen to light a fireplace or stove in the house. The Poles believe that the souls of relatives these days take up residence in stoves or fireplaces - it is a bad sign to light one, because such a family will not receive protection for the entire coming year.

Already in the evening of this day in Poland, the whole family gathers for a festive meal and first prays. After which they start dinner. It is worth noting that the tablecloth must be white, and among the treats on the table there must also be bread, which will be distributed to the poor on the morning of November 2.

All Saints Day in Italy

In Italy, food is usually left in the kitchen for the deceased. It is different in different parts of the country, it can be water with bread, or maybe just water, but in some regions they always leave water and “ossi da morti” cake for the dead.

Be sure to set a rich table on this day, where traditional dishes include nuts and chestnuts, as well as the “dead man’s shin” pie. And children on November 1 and 2 try to behave especially well, because they are confident that adults will give them a gift for diligent behavior.

Outside the windows that night, explosions of fireworks are heard every now and then, and at the table everyone tries to tell the story as scary as possible and bring horror to their relatives. Here the holiday is more like New Year, because during the day Italians try to get around all their loved ones and give them something. Moreover, it is a day off and you can fully immerse yourself in the holiday atmosphere.

All Saints' Day in Germany

In some German states, November 1 is a public holiday. For Germans in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, All Saints' Day is a day off.

Just like in all countries, in Germany on this holiday the whole family gathers at the table. A delicious and rich dinner is prepared. However, before the meal, be sure to visit the cemetery. There is a tradition here of preparing graves for winter. They are cleaned, repainted and even decorated. Evergreen and frost-resistant plants are usually used as decoration.

Signs for All Saints' Day

if snow falls on this day, it will not last long and will melt quickly;
but Indian summer can be expected if it is sunny on November 1;
on Christmas and by New Year it will be cold and everything will be numb if frost appears on All Saints' Day.