All Saints’ Day: November 1
All Saints’ Day is a public holiday in Portugal.
All Saints’ Day is a celebration of all Christian saints, known and unknown, and especially for those saints who have no special feast days of their own. It is observed worldwide by Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Protestant churches. In Portugal it is annually held on November 1, as with many western countries and in many eastern churches it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
History of All Saints’ Day
Some sources say that the idea behind All Saints’ Day dates back to the Greece. Christians in Greece during the fourth century would celebrate a festival, in late May or early June, in honor of all saints and martyrs. Other sources state that a celebration known as “All Martyrs” began as early as the third century. Anyway, the idea behind it was that there were so many martyrs and saints within the Christian faith that it was hard to keep a day for each, therefore this day would celebrate all those that were left out of the official Church calendar. Known is that Pope Gregory IV made All Saints’ Day an official holiday of the Catholic Church in the year 837. Pope Gregory IV chose the date, November 1, as an attempt to Christianize several pagan festivities known as the Festival of the Dead, or Feast of Saman, lord of Death, mainly a Celtic festivity. Later, in the year of 993, the monastery of Cluny, in France, began the celebration of All Souls’ Day on November 2, which quickly spread among Christian Communities.
All Saints’ Day Traditions, Customs and Activities
All Saints’ Day is observed by Christians around the world. In Portugal, churches ceremonies are held in memory of the patron’s saints of chapels, churches and parishes. Later on the day, people will bring flower arrangements to the graves of dead relatives and light candles as a symbol to enlighten their way into Heaven. All Saints’ Day is closely related and celebrated in the same date, even though All Souls’ Day is on the next day. It is common to buy on this day a very typical Portuguese cake called Velhote, or Old Man in English.
