51³Ō¹Ļ

Advertisement

Advertisement

All Saints' Day

noun

  1. a church festival celebrated November 1 in honor of all the saints; Allhallows.


All Saints' Day

noun

  1. a Christian festival celebrated on Nov 1 to honour all the saints
ā€œCollins English Dictionary ā€” Complete & Unabridgedā€ 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins

Origin of All Saints' Day1

First recorded in 1570ā€“80

Advertisement

Discover More

More About All Saintsā€™ Day

What isĀ All Saintsā€™ Day?

All Saintsā€™ Day is a Christian holiday in honor of all the Christian saints.

It originated as a holiday of the Catholic Church, but it is also observed by some other Christians.

The day after All Saintsā€™ Day is All Soulsā€™ Day, a Christian holiday of solemn prayer for all dead persons.

Older names for All Saintsā€™ Day include Allhallows, Allhallowmas, and Hallowmas. The night before was known as Allhallows Eve, which is where the word Halloween comes from.

When isĀ All Saintsā€™ Day?

All Saintsā€™ Day is always observed on November 1.

Where does All Saintsā€™ Day come from?

The name All Saintsā€™ Day has been used since at least the 1570s. Records of its earlier name, Allhallows, come from before 1000. Allhallows uses the obsolete noun hallow, meaning ā€œholy personā€ or ā€œsaint.ā€

Like many Christian holidays, the observance of All Saintsā€™ Dayā€”and its dateā€”are thought to have been influenced by preexisting religious traditions. Many historians believe that the observance of All Saintsā€™ Day was situated on November 1 in Britain and Ireland to coincide with (or replace) the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, observed on or around November 1.

Under Christianity, some of the traditions of Samhain were incorporated into All Saintsā€™ Day. Many of these customs were brought by immigrants to the US, where Halloween has been influenced by and has incorporated elements from several cultures. One cultural celebration with some notable parallels with Halloween is DĆ­a de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), which coincides with All Saintsā€™ Day and All Soulsā€™ Day (likely due to the influence of Christian European colonizers and missionaries in Mexico and Latin America).

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for All Saintsā€™ Day?

What are some words that share a root or word element with All Saintsā€™ Day?Ģż

What are some words that often get used in discussing All Saintsā€™ Day?

How isĀ All Saintsā€™ Day used in real life?

All Saintsā€™ Day is primarily observed by Catholics, but it is also observed by some other branches of Christianity. Outside of Christianity, it is perhaps best known for its relation to Halloween.

Try usingĀ All Saintsā€™ Day!

True or False?

Another word for All Saintsā€™ Day is Allhallows.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement