All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day is a mandatory religious holiday in Catholicism which honors the saints in heaven. Catholics celebrate this holiday on November 1. They following day, they celebrate All Souls' Day, which focuses on praying for the dead (especially souls in Purgatory). Both days are considered important and are integrated with each other.

Some other Christians also celebrate All Saints' Day (though not necessarily on November 1). The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Church of England and in many Lutheran churches.

In the past, All Saints' Day was called All Hallows or Hallowmas."hallows" means "saints," and "mas" meaning "Mass"

 Customs 
All Saints' Day customs differ around the world. 

People make ofrendas (offerings) to the saints in Portugal, Spain and Mexico. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. In Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives.  

In Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, Austria and Germany, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. Filipinos do the same, but often in a picnic-like atmosphere.  

In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 

 References 

 Other websites 

 American Catholic - Saints FAQs, All Saints and All Souls Day  	 
 All Saints' Day article in the Catholic Encyclopedia 	 
 All Saints Sunday Orthodox England
 All Saints Church, Barbados 

Category:Christian holidays
Category:November observances