All Saints' Day has been a public holiday since the signing of the Concordat in 1801 which formalized relations between the French state and the Vatican. It is one of the six public holidays in the French calendar which are linked to the Catholic religion.
During this celebration, Catholics celebrate their saints which number more than 8,000. Historically, this day was therefore a non-working day to pay tribute to them. It was Pope Gregory III who established this celebration from the 8th century. He wanted make the faithful forget the feast of Samhaina pagan festival which celebrated the passage between the world of humans and the world of the dead.
During All Saints' Day,Believers have also gotten into the habit of going to cemeteries and to decorate the graves of their deceased loved ones with flowers. This “Feast of the Dead” originally took place on November 2, the day after Saints' Day. It was Pope Leo IX who formalized this commemoration around the year 1000.
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