What Is All Saints' Day?

The Vatican’s top exorcist would really like you to stop celebrating Halloween. Instead, Father Francesco Bamonte – who heads the International Association of Exorcists – is urging Christians to celebrate Halloween’s Catholic neighbor, All Saints’ Day.

Father Bamonte says that unlike Halloween, much of which was cribbed from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, All Saints’ Day is a Catholic holiday in honor not of darkness, but of goodness.

Halloween, he says, is not “a playful and innocent celebration or a secular occasion,” but rather “the representation of a pagan religious celebration: the Samhain festival originating in the Celtic world.”

Bamonte argues the modernized version, filled with scary flicks, jack-o-lanterns, and candy corn, is “rooted in magic, horror, and death, unlike Christianity.” It’s also “closely linked today to dark realities such as witchcraft and satanism.”

It’s clear that Father Bamonte is feeling the holy spirit rather than the Halloween spirit.

So, what is the holiday he says Christians should celebrate instead?

What Is All Saints' Day?

All Saints’ Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints, is one of the oldest and most universal feast days in the Catholic Church, honoring Catholic saints who have passed.

In a way, All Saints’ Day serves as a spiritual counterweight to Halloween’s fascination with the macabre. Where Halloween revels in ghosts, goblins, and the thin veil between the living and the dead, All Saints’ Day reminds the faithful that death is not the end but a beginning, a passage toward eternal life.

Its origins date back to the early centuries of Christianity, when local churches would commemorate martyrs who had died for their faith. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and other saints, establishing the first All Saints' Day on May 13th. 

In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV formally moved the official date of All Saints' Day to November 1st. 

Why Is All Saints' Day on November 1st?

The choice of November 1st may have had both practical and symbolic roots. For example, Pope Gregory III had previously dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to all the saints on that date, and the feast soon spread throughout Europe.

But could there have been an ulterior motive? Many scholars suggest that the Church intentionally placed the celebration near the time of the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain in order to encourage a Christian alternative to pagan seasonal observances. 

Over time, they hoped the pagan festival would fade into obscurity as more and more people adopted conveniently-located Christian traditions. They were right – for a time. 

How Is All Saints' Day Celebrated?

Traditionally, Christians attended candlelit vigils on this night of fasting and prayer in honor of the saints and their sacrifices. Following this ceremony, they'd visit graveyards and honor the dead by placing candles and flowers on graves of lost loved ones.

Today, Catholic churches and cathedrals hold service on November 1st, honoring the “communion of saints” with both reverence and joy. Churches are often adorned with candles, flowers, and relics of prominent saints.

The following day, November 2nd, All Souls’ Day, is dedicated to praying for the faithful departed who have not yet reached heaven, linking the two feasts in a profound meditation on life, death, and redemption.

What Is the Connection Between Halloween and All Saints' Day?

While All Saints' Day may have cribbed its date from the pagans, Halloween's name comes straight from All Saints' Day. The name "Halloween" derives from "All Hallows' Eve," the night before All Saints' Day.

Therein lies a small irony in this story. While early Christian leaders worked so hard to steer people away from pagan festivals and toward biblical ones, in the end they (unintentionally) helped to brand and promote a massive commercial and spiritual holiday that some Christians argue is a direct threat to their faith.

Despite Halloween's global popularity, All Saints’ Day hasn't gone away. In fact, it remains a vital expression of Catholic faith across the world.

But there are also interesting examples of how the two holidays are intertwined: 

Is All Saints' Day the Same as Day of the Dead?

In many cultures, All Saints' Day is a day of remembrance – families visit cemeteries, light candles on graves, and honor loved ones who have passed. 

With that context, it would be tempting to assume a direct connection between All Saints' Day and the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). But in fact, they are completely separate holidays.

While both celebrations focus on honoring and remembering loved ones who have died, Day of the Dead has distinct roots in indigenous Latin American culture and is not a Catholic holiday (nor is it related to Halloween). 

Whether you spend this season handing out candy, honoring departed loved ones, or skipping the whole thing altogether, these competing holidays offer a shared reminder: darkness and light are both part of the human story.