Catholic All Saints Day (Hallowmas)

The first day of November is one of the most important celebrations for Catholic Christians The celebration of All Saints' Day is obligatory for everyone belonging to the Catholic Church At the solemn liturgy, the priests, dressed in white robes, not only invoke the intercession of all Christian saints and martyrs, but also express faith in the presence of countless holy hosts The origins of the holiday lie in the history of ancient times, when the great and powerful civilization of the Roman Empire collided with the beliefs of the peoples who inhabited the British Isles According to the ideas of the Celtic tribes, farewell to autumn and greeting of the long winter occurred at the border time The Samhain holiday turned a new wheel of the year, opening otherworldly creatures access to the world of the living People, in turn, could also find themselves in another world, without any special rituals Celebrating Samhain, the Celts prepared treats for the spirits of their ancestors, who could visit their former earthly homes The assimilation of ancient Celtic customs into the Roman tradition led to the preservation of the holiday even after the spread of Christianity The first Christians of Ireland and England, bringing the word of God to the pagan kingdoms, rethought the ancient holiday in the Christian spirit and began to commemorate all the saints, whose names are not always known to people, but are known only to God himself Thus, on November 1, they commemorate saints who do not have their own day during the church year, but who invisibly bless the Christian flock Pope Gregory in the mid-8th century consecrated one of the chapels of St Peter's Basilica on November 1, and thereby established this date as All Saints' Day After 100 years, King Charles ordered the entire vast Frankish empire to celebrate this celebration without fail All Saints' Day is replaced by All Souls' Day, and this date is also the same and important for all Catholics For 8 days, believers are called to pray for the souls of their deceased relatives, who are distinguished by their special zeal