Making My Home A Haven is important to me. Sharing homemaking skills. Recipes and food. Bible Studies. This is a treasure chest of goodies. So take a seat. Have a glass of tea and enjoy. You will learn all about who I am.
When Is All Saints Day : What Is It And Who Celebrates It.
Now that spooky season is officially over and our Halloween costumes are packed away for another year, our thoughts may start to turn to Christmas.
But don’t be putting up the tinsel just yet, because directly after Halloween is the Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day.
While it may be easy to forget the religious origins of Halloween, November 1 marks a special holiday observed by Roman Catholics and most Protestant denominations worldwide.
All Saints’ Day is an opportunity for worshippers to remember saints and martyrs throughout Christian history.
So why do Christians celebrate All Saints’ Day – and what is it? Here’s everything you need to know.
A cross stands at the Chartreuse cemetery in central Bordeaux on October 26, 2018 ahead of All Saints’ Day. (AFP/Getty Images)
When is All Saints’ Day?
All Saints’ Day – also known as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas, is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween.
It comes just after the pagan holiday of Samhain and is directly followed by the Mexican Day of the Dead festival and another Christian holiday, All Souls’ Day.
In Eastern Orthodox and associated Eastern Catholic churches, All Saints’ Day is observed on the first Sunday following Pentecost.
Why do Christians celebrate it?
All Saints’ Day has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn’t until 609AD that Pope Boniface IV decided to remember all martyrs.
Originally the Feast of All Holy Martyrs, as it was then known, was celebrated on May 13.
Then in 837AD Pope Gregory IV extended the holy day to remember all saints, changed its name to the Feast of All Saints and changed the date to November 1.
It’s thought that the date was chosen to replace the end of harvest time and the Gaelic festival of Samhain, known as the festival of the dead.
In Catholic tradition, the holiday honours those who have passed on to the Kingdom of Heaven.
In Methodist tradition, it relates to giving God earnest gratitude for the lives and deaths of his saints.
Pope John Paul II stressed the importance of All Saints’ Day in 2003: “We celebrate today the solemnity of All Saints. This invites us to turn out gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land, and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination.”
How is All Saints’ Day celebrated?
Catholics are expected to attend mass on All Saints’ Day, although Bishops in many countries don’t make this a requirement if the holiday does not fall on a Sunday.
There is usually a reading of the Beatitudes, the eight blessings recounted in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
Some also leave offerings of flowers to dead relatives and others may light candles and visit the graves of lost loved ones.
How does it relate to Halloween?
The Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day has close associations with Halloween (freestocks/Unsplash)
While nowadays we may associate Halloween with trick or treating and scary movies, Halloween started out as a holy Christian celebration.
‘Hallow’ in Old English means ‘holy’ or ‘sacred,’ so Hallows’ Eve or Halloween simply means “the evening of holy persons” and refers to the evening before All Saints’ Day.
Halloween is a mixture of Celtic religious ideas and Christian martyrology.”
All Saints Day: The history and traditions behind the holiday By CNN
“Every year on November 1, many Roman Catholics and other Christians around the world observe All Saints Day, which honors all saints of the church that have attained heaven. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, All Saints Day is observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Here’s a look at the history and traditions of this holy holiday. ”
“Where All Saints Day came from
Although now observed in November, All Saints Day was originally celebrated on May 13, although the origin cannot be traced with certainty, accoring to Encyclopedia Brittanica. Pope Boniface IV formally started what would later be known as All Saints Day on May 13 in 609 AD when he dedicated the Pantheon in Rome as a church in honor of the Virgin Mary and all martyrs.
The current date of November 1 was established by Pope Gregory III during his reign (731-741 AD) when he dedicated a chapel in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of all saints. While this celebration was originally limited to Rome, later in 837 Pope Gregory IV ordered the official observance of All Saints Day every November 1 and extended its celebration to the entire Church.
All Saints really means ALL saints
While many canonized saints are celebrated with their own individual day (such as St. Patrick), saints that have not been canonized have no particular holiday. All Saints Day recognizes those whose have attained heaven, but their sainthood is known only to God. Even so, Catholic observances tend to focus on known saints, those canonized by the Catholic Church.
A holy obligation
According to Catholic Online, within the Catholic Church, All Saints’ Day is generally considered a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics must attend Mass unless they are prevented by illness or another sufficient excuse. After the Protestant Reformation, many Protestant sects kept All Saints Day. Methodists, for example, acknowledge it as a day of giving God earnest gratitude for the lives and deaths of saints, according to Christianity.com.
Observances around the world
Although not a public holiday in the US, All Saints’ Day is observed publicly in many countries. In France and Germany, people have the work day off and businesses are closed. In the Philippines, All Saints Day is known as “Undas” and isn’t just for remembering the saints, but for honoring and paying respects to departed loved ones, usually with prayers, flowers, and good offerings and graves.”
Who We Are At Home Is Who We Really Are By Women Living Well And Good Morning Girls. October 20, 2015 by Courtney This is the same Bible Verse that I did for my morning Bible Verse and Study. “This Week’s […]
I was going to start the series with everyone else this week but due to being really laid up, I will be posting this weekend and officially starting on Monday. I am sorry for the delay. Love And Hugs, Sarah
To Bobby,
Wishing you were here. Missing you as I always do. It is just harder on holidays.
Your cousin’s birthday is Monday. You were so close to her. To all of them.
I can’t believe that you would be 35 if you were still here.
I see you all the time in my dreams . You have aged in some of them. I have even seen a couple of kids walking with you.
Wishing I had all the photos that were lost in the fire. Oh so many of you. I have so few now.
I am remembering all of the firework events we went to.
You loved them. You were so proud to be an American. You’d be disappointed in our country right now.
Miss You . Love you.
Mom
Year Years Eve is always quiet on Rolling Meadows Ranch where we live.
It is USUALLY quiet at Lake Kissimmee State Park where Danny is a Park Ranger and I volunteer.
The View Out Of Our Back Door
The photo above was taken 2 weeks ago.
They were repairing DAY USE AREA.
Lake Kissimmee State Park.
Danny got home later than usual last night. The park closed at 6 PM . He didn’t get home until 7:10. It was a very quiet night after that. NO CALLS HERE.
Danny was the Ranger ON CALL.
Cheesecake. I finished the last of it NYE.The PHONE is a HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME. HIS. Not mine. He is always texting SOMEONE.Shrimp And Steak. Danny never had any of it.Seafood Corn Chowder. It was so good. Danny NEVER had any and he asked for it.I have been watching the entire Downton Abbey Series this past week.Christmas Day. In the car . Waiting for trains that never came and a PROMISE broken. We were suppose to stay at the house we rented and have quality time. Christmas Time.
Danny had 2 bites.
Family Time :Christmas Eve.
Almost always on the computer. Too busy to talk to me. At least we were in the same room.The view out our back door.Our Christmas PartyDAY USE AREA Zipprer Canal Re- building the rails. Before Christmas.Staff working frantically to finish before the weekend BEFORE CHRISTMAS.One of our Better Evenings the past few weeks. Still a huge concern for me. Worry. Anguish. Fear. Anger. Emotional. Danny was drinking. AGAIN.Snacks I fixed that Danny never ate.Oyster Stew. The Weekend BEFORE Christmas. Danny asked me to make it, then Never ate it.
Rolling Meadows Ranch Our Little Piece Of heaven on earth. Acreage : Almost 6,000 acres.Rolling Meadows Ranch Our Entrance and the beginning of our mile long dirt road. The fence needs painted.Almost HomeCollier Farm RoadWe have cows on all 4 sides at Rolling Meadows and Scrub Cows At Lake Kissimmee State Park.
Our backyard.
Our Yard
Seafood Corn Chowder
There were a few fireworks throughout the evening. It was QUIET AT MIDNIGHT.
I had an amazingly quiet and relaxing New Year’s Eve and a great beginning to 2020.
The stress was gone.
I honestly didn’t expect anything from the evening.
I was so disappointed with our Christmas Eve/Day on vacation that I decided early yesterday : NOT TO MAKE A FUSS FOR NEW YEARS EVE.
No Special Dinner Or Snacks.
We had a good dinner (We ate separately and at different times.) We had different meals.
Their were plenty of snacks all night but I just set them out.
No WORDS!
NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS!
It helped that the stress was virtually, gone. Danny is working late field this week and HAD NO WINE IN THE HOUSE. I refused to get any for him.
So no worries there.
All I asked Danny to to do was to give me his “UNDIVIDED ATTENTION” for 30 minutes last night. 15 minutes before Midnight to 15 minutes AFTER. NO TEXTING or BEING ON THE COMPUTER during that time.
I wasn’t really expecting it.
We both had a quiet night. Yes, he spent it in his computer room and I spent it in the kitchen. He did “HIS THING”and I did mine.
Except for those few moments when we had “FAMILY TIME”. The cat even got a special MIDNIGHT TREAT.
Danny surprised me at 11: 42 PM . Or thereabouts. He actually came INTO THE KITCHEN and SAT DOWN. NO PHONE IN HAND.
That alone was an accomplishment.
NO PHONE.
NO DISTRACTIONS!
OK, my phone went off….BUT Mine were family. Remembering how lonely I get at MIDNIGHT ON HOLIDAYS.
(Bobby use to call exactly at MIDNIGHT: if he wasn’t with me.)
I didn’t answer the calls or the texts til after Danny left.
I wasn’t lonely last night.
OK, I was but not as lonely.
Danny KISSED ME.
Really KISSED ME.
WITHOUT ASKING.
It had been MONTHS.
Well, he walked up to me and he asked me if I wanted to dance
He looked kinda nice and so I said I might take a chance
When he danced he held me tight
And when he walked me home that night
All the stars were shining bright
And then he kissed me
Each time I saw him I couldn’t wait to see him again
I wanted to let him know that he was more than a friend
I didn’t know just what to do
So I whispered I love you
He said that he loved me too
And then he kissed me
He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before
He kissed me in a way that I want to be kissed forevermore
I knew that he was mine so I gave him all the love that I had
And one day he took me home to meet his mom and his dad…
I didn’t even listen to AULD LANG SYNE until 12:20 AM It has to be Guy Lomardo’s version.
I really love this version though.
Auld Lang Syne Dougie MacLean version (With Lyrics and English Translation)
Should old acquaintance be forgot
…
And never brought to mind
Should all acquaintance be forgot
…
And auld lang syne
…
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
And surely you will buy your cup
And surely I’ll buy mine
…
And we’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
We too have run around the slopes
And picked the daisies fine
…
We’ve wondered many weary foot
…
Since auld lang syne
…
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
We too have paddled in the stream
…
From morning sun to night
…
But the seas between us broad have roared
…
From auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
We’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
“Hubby is pretty insistent on eating specific foods, so we will have those. But I think I’m going to throw in a few more for good measure. From what I have read, I guess the key to being healthy, wealthy and wise is to eat certain foods on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day. The custom has been around for ages, and since we need all the extra help we can get, I figure it can’t hurt. At the very least, we’ll start the New Year with full bellies and celebrate that we survived another year together!”
From Sarah,
This is a great post. Robin shares lots of ideas.
Like many holiday breads, Julekage involves candied fruit and nuts, and it is heavily spiced. The traditional spice used in Julekage is cardamom, although nutmeg, cinnamon, and other flavors may be used as well. Many fans of the bread believe that it tastes best warm out of the oven, although it can also be toasted […]
“Children hang wreaths on the sanctuary door at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., during the church’s annual Hanging of the Greens service. Photo by Mike DuBose, United Methodist Communications.”
