Christian Holiday

All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day honors all the faithful, known and unknown, who have died and are with God. Western churches keep it on November 1, which in 2027 is Monday, November 1, 2027. It follows Halloween, All Hallows' Eve, and comes the day before All Souls' Day.

Next: Monday, November 1, 2027

When Is All Saints' Day?

2027Next

All Saints' DayMonday, November 1, 2027

2028

All Saints' DayWednesday, November 1, 2028

What All Saints' Day Means

All Saints' Day remembers the whole family of believers across history, the famous and the forgotten alike, who lived and died in faith. Scripture pictures them as a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. The day is a reminder that the church is bigger than any single moment, that we belong to a story stretching back through the centuries, and that death does not have the final word for those who are in Christ.

All Saints' Day in the Bible

Hebrews 12:1-2KJV
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Revelation 7:9KJV
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”

How All Saints' Day Is Observed

All Saints' Day is observed with services of remembrance, often reading the names of those in the congregation who have died in the past year, giving thanks for their lives and witness.

Catholic

All Saints is a solemnity and, in the United States, a holy day of obligation, except that the obligation is lifted when November 1 falls on a Saturday or Monday. The readings include Revelation 7 and the Beatitudes.

Orthodox

Orthodox churches honor all the saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost, not on November 1. Many national churches keep a second Sunday for their own local saints.

Protestant

Anglicans list All Saints' Day among the principal feasts and may also keep it on the Sunday after November 1. Lutheran, Methodist and other churches often read aloud the names of members who died in the past year, sometimes lighting a candle for each.

Where It Falls in the Christian Year

All Saints' Day is followed by All Souls' Day on November 2, and the church year closes a few weeks later with Christ the King. The great cloud of witnesses is described in Hebrews 12.

All Saints' Day FAQ

When is All Saints' Day 2027?

All Saints' Day is always November 1. In 2027 it falls on Monday, November 1, 2027, and in 2028 on Wednesday, November 1, 2028. Some Protestant churches keep it on the Sunday after.

What is All Saints' Day?

All Saints' Day is a feast honoring every Christian believed to be with God in heaven, not only the saints the church has named. Hebrews 12:1 pictures them as a great cloud of witnesses surrounding believers on earth.

Is All Saints' Day a holy day of obligation?

For Catholics in the United States, yes, unless November 1 falls on a Saturday or Monday, when the obligation to attend Mass is lifted. The feast itself is still celebrated.

What is the difference between All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day?

All Saints' Day on November 1 celebrates those believed to be in heaven. All Souls' Day on November 2 is a day of prayer for all the faithful departed.

How is All Saints' Day related to Halloween?

Halloween means All Hallows' Eve, the evening before All Saints' Day. Hallow is an old English word for saint. Many of the customs now linked with Halloween developed separately, but the name comes from the Christian feast.