What is it? All Hallows Day or All Saints’ Day is an old Christian festival that is celebrated to honour all the Saints and Martyrs. It is the day after Halloween. Long after the establishment of Christianity in what were once Celtic lands, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour all saints and martyrs in the 8th Century. This was primarily done in order to overshadow the existing pagan festival at the time called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween).
When is it? It is observed on November 1, but celebrations typically begin in the evening of October 31 or All Hallow’s Eve – now known as Halloween. These two festivals in addition to All Souls’ Day on November 2 are all connected and, over the centuries, have come to include a vast range of cultures and folklore.
Customs
In Portugal, children celebrate All Saints’ Day in a similar fashion to Halloween, except they go from door to door asking for “pao por Deus” instead of “trick or treat”, receiving cakes, nuts and pomegranates. This tradition is mostly followed in central Portugal.
In the Philippines it is called “Undas” or sometimes "Áraw ng mga Patáy” (Day of the Dead) which refers to the following day of All Souls' Day. A preference is given the All Soul's Day because they believe those in purgatory need prayers more than the Saints. Back in the day, Filipinos observed this day by visiting the graves of deceased relatives and offering prayers, flowers and lighting candles. This tradition is, however, dying out.
In Europe, this day is celebrated by people mostly taking flowers to the graves of their dead relatives.
Legends of the Fall
1. In the old days, people believed that on the night of October 31 (eve of All Saints’ Day), the ghosts of the dead are able to mingle with the living and on this night the souls of those who have died during the year attempt to travel into the other world.
2. According to one of the most popular legends, people sacrifice animals, fruit and vegetables and light bonfires – all in honour of the dead. This food and light that is left out for them is meant to help them on their way and to keep them away from bothering the living.
3. Another legend and possibly the most interesting of all says that on the eve of All Saints' Day the most intense supernatural activity occurs, when lost souls are passing on from the realm of men in search of the other world. Over time these lost souls took on the role of evil demons and were considered malicious spirits out to harm the living. The door of the other world was believed to open at dusk on the night of Halloween with spirits trying to make it through before the clock struck midnight when it becomes All Saints’ Day and when the Saints go marching in for a fierce battle between good and evil.
4. Some legends believe that at the stroke of midnight, a fierce battle ensues where any souls that haven’t made it in to the other world and are left loitering around on Earth are violently driven back into their graves by the Saints accompanied by the Archangels. These souls must then have to wait in their graves till the next year in order to pass through to the other world on All Hallows' Eve.
5. Legend also has it, that since it is the harvest, this is the time when demons roam the Earth to look for souls they can ‘reap’. In order to escape them, souls leave their graves and come looking for the living to be among them so they cannot be recognised. In this tradition, humans dress up in costumes in order to confuse the demons and to protect the poor souls from being taken by the devil.
