All Saints' Day 2025

About All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day, also called the Feast of All Saints or All Hallows' Day, is celebrated by the Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations on November 1. It commemorates all Christian saints, both named and unnamed, who have attained heaven.

The day immediately follows All Hallows' Eve (Halloween, October 31) and precedes All Souls' Day (November 2), forming a three-day observance known as Allhallowtide.

History and Origins

The earliest references to a feast for all martyrs date to the 4th century. Pope Gregory III (731-741) dedicated a chapel in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome to all the saints on November 1, fixing the date in the Western Church.

Pope Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire Church in 837 AD. In Eastern Orthodox tradition, the equivalent observance is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

How All Saints' Day Is Observed

• Attending Mass or church services (a holy day of obligation in many Catholic countries)
• Visiting cemeteries and decorating graves with flowers and candles
• Praying for the deceased and for one's own faith journey
• In Mexico, the day overlaps with the broader Dia de los Muertos celebration
• In the Philippines, families gather at cemeteries for vigils that span All Saints' and All Souls' Day

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