All Saints’ Day is the date chosen by Christians to honor, remember and pray in honor of the deceased. When on this day we speak of All Saints, it does not mean that we are only celebrating this feast for all those people who have been canonized and recognized as such by the Holy Church. In reality, reference is made to absolutely all those who knew how to find the path to eternal life by being good Christians, and today they find themselves under the shadow of the Lord.
All Catholics can be saints, since they have the same goal in life from the moment they are baptized: to lead a good earthly life in order to achieve eternal glory. This is only part of the story behind All Saints’ Day that we are going to talk about in this article.
When is All Saints Day 2021
In the year 2021, November 1 falls on a Monday, and is considered a national holiday in Spain. During that day, public organizations and companies do not open, there is no school and the university remains closed, no one goes to offices or work centers.
It is one of the dates marked in red on our calendars, both because of not having to go to work and because of what it means. It is part of our deep-rooted traditions and customs and that is why every time the national calendar is published we quickly look to observe, among other times, when All Saints’ Day is according to the agenda.
Why is All Saints’ Day celebrated on November 1?
At first the church celebrated the death of each martyr on the day of their death, but over time as more martyrs died and it became difficult to have a celebration every day of the month or even share commemoration dates. Pope Gregory III decided to unify all the deaths of the saints on the same day and honor them on November 1, although the date had previously been set for May 13. The Pope came to consecrate in the Basilica of San Pedro, in Rome, a space to pray to them.
Years later, Pope Gregory IV increased the meaning of the celebration of the day of the holy innocents, expanding it to all components of the church. Since then it is remembered and prayed for every soul, thus giving rise to a day and this tradition that Catholics fulfill every year.
How is All Saints’ Day celebrated?
In Spain, tradition says that we must go to visit the place where the remains of our relatives and loved ones lie. On All Saints’ Day, people come to clean the tombstones and take flowers to decorate that special date. Prayers are said for them to shorten their years in purgatory and free their souls.
The tradition of going to cemeteries is not only Christian, since many non-believers carry out the act of visiting and accompanying the people they lost and remembering them on that day. Most of the sacred fields hold open days throughout the night and the enclosure is filled with lighted candles to light, pray and guide souls. This is one of the most iconic images of the festivity of All Saints in Spain.
All Saints’ Day has a very gastronomic part, with typical foods of this day. The normal thing is to eat little bones of Santo and fritters of wind. The bones are made with almond paste and filled with yolk candy, their light color and their cylindrical, elongated and thin shape reminds us of a bone.
The festivity of All Saints has been enriched with particularities according to each autonomous community. Each region of Spain has been adapting this day own ideas and activities. For example, in Catalonia, panellets or roasted chestnuts are typical, which we can find in stalls along the street. There are the borrachuelos in Andalusia, the migas in Castilla La Mancha or the aniseed donuts in Salamanca.
All Saints’ Day is not only commemorated in Spanish lands. It is celebrated in other areas and countries of Latin America.
history of all saints day
As we have explained before, Pope Gregory III established November 1 as All Saints’ Day. He chose this date for several reasons.
Fundamentally the idea was to unify the commemoration of the Saints. It was an act for the pagan peoples who converted to Christianity but did not want to abandon and change their festivals and rites. Other Catholic festivities were imposed on them on their previously marked festivities on those days, in such a way that it would be easier for them to abandon their previously indicated dates. It really did not cease to be an act of imposition, not of facilitation for the new faithful.
Differences between Halloween night and All Saints’ Day
The only thing that All Saints’ Day and Halloween night have in common is that these two days are related to death, but have totally different purposes and sentimental value.
Halloween is October 31st and, as its name suggests, it is the night before All Saints: All Hallows’ Eve. It is a party that encourages consumption, since to celebrate tonight you have to buy costumes, makeup that makes our character more believable, material to decorate facades or doors and the interior of houses. Of course we have to buy and cook food for our guests and have a table of prepared drinks.
Halloween is a night that is related to death but focused from fear. They have led it to be compared to horror movies and scare-based episodes, zombies and the undead, leading to sleepless nights. It is clear that the differences in relation to All Saints’ Day are many. In this commemoration there is no mention of respect for our dead loved ones, prayer or commemoration with nice words or gestures of love towards them.
On the contrary, the feast day of All Saints begins and ends with the affection and memory that is kept towards loved ones, those who are no longer part of earthly life. Prayers are dedicated to them, they are visited where their bodies are buried and peace is sent to them. Prayers full of love and hope are made towards them.
So it’s all very well to talk about the difference between Halloween night as it takes place at night with crazy parties, and All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated during daylight hours and without a playful festive atmosphere. The fundamental difference is in the respect towards those who are no longer there.
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