What is All Saints’ Day and why is this day a public holiday?

Every year, we start the month of November with a public holiday: All Saints’ Day. This holiday was established by the Catholic Church to honor those who have demonstrated their faith in Christ, and its origins date back to ancient traditions.

Origins of All Saints’ Day

The feast of All Saints’ Day was set for 1^is November by Pope Gregory III to VIII^e centuryreplacing an earlier celebration which took place on May 13. This choice of date is not insignificant, because it coincides with Celtic traditions, notably the festival of Samhain, which celebrated the dead and marked the start of winter.

Initially, All Saints’ Day was a commemoration of Christian martyrs. Over time it expanded to include all saints, which was reinforced by Pope Gregory IV to IX^e century, who ordered that this festival be celebrated throughout Christendom.

Meaning and practices

The 1^is November is thus an opportunity for Christians to reflect and honor their deceased, while the official commemoration of the dead takes place the next day, November 2.

Before the French Revolution, All Saints’ Day was one of the many non-working religious holidays. Then the revolutionaries abolished this holiday. In 1802with the Concordat signed between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, All Saints’ Day has once again become a public holiday in France.

Since then, the 1^is November remained one of the eleven official public holidays in France, registered in the Labor Code.