All Saint’s Day

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter Oct 17, 2006

This November first will mark All Saint’s Day, a day to honor saints and martyrs. More specifically, it was festival day created to honor the lesser saints who did not have a feast day specifically set aside for them. Martyrs and holy men were also included in this feast day, whose records did not mark their actual day of death.

All Saint’s Day was originally celebrated on May 13, the day that was celebrated, by some, as the anniversary of the conversion of the Roman deities into Christiandom. All Saint’s Day was later changed to November first when Gregory III in 731 A.C. consecrated a chapel in honor of all saints.