With Good Reason

Many Canadian workplaces give their employees a calendar with a list of public holidays. One date however that would virtually never appear on such a calendar in Canada but might in other countries is November 1, All Saints Day. While in North America as a whole All Saints Day (for those who actually know what it is) is a religious rather than legal holiday, as Christians we can appreciate the meaning and beauty of that day no matter where we live.

All Saints Day traces its beginnings to the latter part of the third century AD. It was originally known as All Martyrs Day to honour those who had died for their Christian faith, but it was later extended to include all the faithful departed. At first All Saints Day was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Though the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to observe it on this date, the Western (Catholic and Protestant) denominations moved it to the first of November. The Lutheran Church generally holds its All Saints Day service on the first Sunday of that month so as to situate it as close as possible to November 1.

The term “saint” should be explained in more detail. Strictly speaking, the “saints” refer to all baptized members of the Church, living or dead. In more popular usage a saint is a person who has distinguished him- or herself by having lived an exemplary life on Earth. Examples of saints include Biblical characters such as Saint Luke or Saint Paul as well as later figures like Saint Olav, the king who brought Christianity to Norway, or Saint Ansgar, the “Apostle to the North” (Northern Europe). All Saints Day honours all these individuals. However, the holiday can also be a time to cherish the memory of deceased relatives or friends who have in their own way contributed to the Church. For instance, on All Saints Day I like to remember a late aunt of mine who taught Sunday school to children in her parish.

While, as mentioned before, in Canada All Saints Day is not a legal holiday, in a number of other nations – particularly those in Southern Europe and Latin America – it is. Many of these countries have elaborate traditions surrounding this day, usually in commemoration of the dead. For example, in Mexico people bring food to the graves of family members, whereas Italian children supposedly receive gifts from dead relatives. The purpose of such celebrations is to recognize in a symbolic fashion that although those who have passed away are no longer with us on Earth, their memory lives on and deserves to be treasured.

In North America All Saints Day coincides with Halloween (literally a contraction of “All Hallows Evening,” the evening before All Saints, “hallow” being an Old English word meaning “holy”). Halloween is somewhat controversial from a Christian perspective. Some Christians consider it merely a secular holiday to be enjoyed by children and adults who want to dress up for the occasion. In countries with a history of commemorating All Saints Day on November 1, ecclesiastical authorities understandably fear the introduction of Halloween may eclipse existing traditions. Other Christians have condemned the holiday for its pagan elements and celebration of the occult, with demons, witches, ghosts and goblins. The Lutheran Church lacks an official position on Halloween. However, some Lutherans have attempted to take the focus away from the largely secular Halloween and emphasize Reformation Day. October 31 after all was the date on which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Personally I like the fact that All Saints Day hasn’t been contaminated by the commercialism that has affected Christmas and Easter (holidays that I nonetheless love for their religious significance and emphasis on family). All Saints Day connects all the saints, of today and yesterday. Therefore it deserves to be celebrated.