Thursday, October 24, 2013

All About All Saints' Day



A Compendium of Sources 
Commemorating All Saints’ Day
All Saints Day - William-Adolphe Bouguereau

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/william-adolphe-bouguereau/all-saints-day-1859
Evelyn Smith

While many Christians ignore Halloween or else choose to celebrate a fall festival, they can only take back this day from popular culture by putting it in its proper perspective, connecting it to All Saints’ Day, November 1st—a day of Solemnity for the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.  Protestants also observe All Saints Day the Sunday following Halloween as a day to memorialize all believers, most particularly those in individual congregations who have died during the previous year.  Even so, in the United States, except among Mexican-Americans and the Cajuns of Louisiana, most Christians don’t mark this day with any activities outside of attending church services.  However, perhaps it’s time to resurrect some old customs.

A History of All Saints’ Day: 
Roman Catholic & Anglican Traditions 

All Saints Day. (2013). Catholic Online.  Retrieved from http://catholic.org/saints/allsaints/

This well-researched link summarizes Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant celebrations of All Saints’ Day, detailing its history as well as explaining the All Saints Day traditions of different countries around the world.  Catholic Online even provides a bibliography for the Web site.

All Saints’ Day.  (2013).  Infoplease. Pearson Education. Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/all-saints-day.html

The Roman Catholic and Anglican (or Episcopal) churches celebrate November 1st as a day to thank God for the lives of all saints both known and forgotten.  Western Europe first widely celebrated the day in 837, although the Church earlier commemorated unknown martyrs.  With the Reformation, Protestants extended the idea of saints to mean all believers [although modern-day Roman Catholic commentary explains that they too are a part of this celebration].  Many Protestant denominations celebrate the unity of the church on this day or the nearest Sunday after it (All Saints’, 2013, para.1).
 
All Saints. (2010).  Women for Faith & Family.  Libreria Edifice Vaticana. Retrieved from http://www.wf-f.org/AllSaints.html
 
All Saints Day serves as a memorial day for Roman Catholics, who honor the memory of those souls “who have died and gone before us in the presence of the Lord” (Women, 2010, para. 6).  Observant Roman Catholics attend Mass on this holy day, but the Women for Faith and Family Web site additionally suggests that parents use this day as an opportunity to talk to children about the importance of saints as well as to read scriptures that underline why Christians should observe this day (Women, 2010, para. 12). 

Bennett, David. (2013, October 20).  The Solemnity of All Saints Day.  ChurchYear.Net. Retrieved from http://www.churchyear.net/allsaints.html

All Saints Day, kept as a Holy Day of Obligation, also goes by the names of All Hallows, Hallowmas, or Halloween.  However, since the day was first celebrated on November 1 in Germany, Bennett, as opposed to other commentators, believes that this makes its historic connection with the Celtic Harvest festival of Samhain “unlikely” (Bennett, 2013, para. 1 & 10) even as many of the customs associated with Halloween stem from the idea that evil has less power if believers mock it (Bennett, 2013, para. 10).  Trick or Treat, for example, begin in the Middle Ages when households distributed “soul cakes” to beggars, who upon return, had to agree to pray for departed souls (Bennett, 2013, para. 10).  

The following recipe and its accompanying text explain how the giving out of soul cakes during the Middle Ages was most probably the origin of trick-or-treating. Since 200 Celsius converts to 392 Fahrenheit, Americans should set their oven temperatures just shy of 400 F.
Escobar, Mark. (2009, October 15).  All Saints’ Day.  Ezine. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?All-Saints-Day&id=3098426

After listing several scripture readings that honor all saints, Escobar notes that All Saints’ Day became a “contentious issue” when the Church went from venerating the saints to worshipping them (Escobar, 2009, para. 2).  Modern-day Christians, however, receive the calling to be a part of the community of saints since all Christ’s followers may claim the title of saint, and by their acts of kindness may like those who came before them give witness of their faith (Escobar, 2009, para. 3-6).

Fournier, Catherine. (2010). All Saint’s Day.  Domestic Church Communications, Ltd. Retrieved from http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19980901/SAINTS/ALL_SNTS.HTM

This feast day originally took place in the spring, dating back to the time that Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon as a Christian Church in A.D. 608, and in turn, Gregory IV consecrated the Chapel of St. Peter.  However, since Rome didn’t have enough food at the end of the winter to feed all the pilgrims the date was moved to November 1st, after the autumn harvest (Fournier, 2010, para. 2-3).  At this time, Medieval European housewives dispensed cakes, later known as donuts, with a hole in the middle of them as a symbol of eternity to beggars as well as baked apple dishes (Fournier, 2010, para. 4). The nearest modern-day equivalent of this Medieval celebration in the Americas occurs in Mexico where on the Day of the Dead, families visit cemeteries, decorating tombs and leaving food offerings for the dead (Fournier,  2010, para. 5).

Mershman, F. (1907). All Saints' Day. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315a.htm

The Roman Catholic Church observes November 1st as a day of solemnity to honor all saints, known and unknown (Mershman, 1907, para. 1).  By the 4th century, Christians in neighboring dioceses were beginning to hold joint feasts to commemorate martyrs, and by 609 or 610, the Church had set aside May 13th to honor all saints. Pope Gregory IV, however, moved the day to November 1st (Mershman, 1907, para. 2). 

All Saints; Day and All Souls’ Day. (2011, October 20).  BBC.  Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/allsaints_1.shtml

While Anglicans and Roman Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day as a time to remember all saints and martyrs by attending church services and “trying not to do any servile work” (BBC, 2011, para. 1-2), they observe November 2nd as All Soul’s Day, attending Masses where they pray for souls in Purgatory--a state of those not entirely cleanse of their venial, or minor, sins.   Odilio, the Abbot of Cluny, first set aside a feast day for praying for those in Purgatory in A.D. 998, but by the 10th century, the entire Roman Catholic Church had adopted this custom (BBC, 2011, para.3-7). All Souls’ Day Rituals include the reading of The Office of the Dead, holding Requiem Mass for the dead, and visiting the grave sites of family members.  Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate the Day of the Dead, or El Día de los Muertos, whereupon the faithful visit the graves of family members, leaving food for the departed (BBC, 2011, para. 6).

Saunders, William.  (2003). All Saints and All Souls.  Catholic Research Center.   Arlington Catholic Herald.  Retrieved from http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html

Saunders notes that superstitious beliefs during the Middle Ages along with influences from Celtic paganism have obscured the true meaning of the three days that the Christian Church has set aside to memorialize the dead (Saunders, 2003, para. 6).  Christians first set aside a day to commemorate the lives of saints in the spring—Edessa celebrated this feast day May 13th while  Syria Christians memorialized the dead the Friday after Easter, and the Church of  Antioch, remembered the lives of all saints the first Sunday after Pentecost (Saunders, 2003, para. 2).  The celebration took on more universal, or catholic, significance when it moved to Rome after Pope Boniface IV consecrated the once pagan Pantheon to St. Mary and the Christian martyrs on May 13, 609.  However, it fell to Pope Gregory IV to move the Feast Day of All Souls to November 1st when he dedicated St. Peter’s Basilica in 731.  By 735, the English were observing this feast day as Venerable Bede noted (Saunders, 2003, para. 4).  This feast day, however, also coincided with the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain—a time when the Druids built bonfires of sacred oak branches on which they performed sacrifices (Saunders, 2003, para. 4).  

Protestant All Saints’ Day Beliefs 

 
Most mainline Protestant denominations observe All Saints’ Day either on November 1st or else on the first Sunday after Halloween as they honor the contributions of heroes of the faith and recommit themselves to Christian service as they usually also recognize members of their congregations who have died in the past year.  While individual congregations of evangelical Christians may mark All Saints’ Day, Baptists and other evangelicals don’t officially set aside a specific day to honor the lives of Christians who might serve as role models for the living.  Protestants, of course, don’t believe in the intercession of the saints as Roman Catholics and Anglicans or Episcopalians do.

Questions and Answers about All Saints Day.  (n. d.).  St. Paul Lutheran Church of Kingsville, Maryland (LCMS).  Retrieved from http://www.stpaulskingsville.org/allsaints.htm

All Saints’ Day honors all faithful Christians, although it had its origins in the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages.  While the traditional date for All Saints’ Day is November 1st, it is also celebrated the first Sunday in November (Questions, n. d., para. 1-2).  “Saint” in its Protestant context means all baptized believers (Questions, n. d., para. 4).  According to the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Lutherans honor saints to give thanks for all the teachers and leaders God has given the Church, to strength the faith, and to imitate the virtues of early Christians (Questions, n. d., para. 4).

All Saints Day.  (n. d.). Presbyterian Mission Agency.  Presbyterian Church USA.  Retrieved from http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/worship/all-saints-day/

Following the reformed tradition established by John Calvin, not only do Presbyterians give thanks for the lives of devoted Christians who have died, but they also emphasize the “ongoing sanctification of the whole people of God” by observing all Saints Day on the first Sunday in November. Thus, the Presbyterian Church urges members to live the type of life that gives witness to God’s grace (All Saints Day, n. d., Presbyterian Mission, para. 2).  

LaGuardia, Joe. (2009, October 20).  Halloween among other holidays.  Baptist spirituality. Word Press. Retrieved from http://baptistspirituality.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/halloween-among-other-holidays/

Baptists don’t officially celebrate All Saints Day, but many individual Baptist churches celebrate the Sunday before Halloween as Reformation Sunday (LaGuardia, 2007, para. 7), and many like Joe LaGuardia  recognize that Halloween—detached from all Saints Day and religious tradition-- has become “a cultural quagmire of the superstitious and the sacred” (2007, para. 3).  LaGuardia goes on to note that just as the Roman Catholic Church attempted to substitute All Saints Day observances for an original Celtic harvest festival, Protestant reformers in Germany made October 31st Reformation Day (2007, para. 5).  Even so, he also suggests that the Halloween season remains a time to remember both the famous and unrecognized heroes of the Christian faith whether they are Mother Teresa or Grandpa (LaGuardia, 2007, para. 10).

Peck, J. Richard. (2007, November-December).  Celebrating All Saints Day.  UMC 101.  Interpreter Magazine.  Retrieved from http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=12439

United Methodists celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1st, although they don’t believe that departed saints act as mediators between Christians and God.  However, they do believe that all confessing Christians are saints since they exemplify the Christian life (Peck, 2007, para. 4).  The founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, taught that still living Christians can learn much from those who have died, but unlike the Anglican Church, from which the Methodist Church separated, Methodists like their Presbyterian and Lutheran brethren don’t seek their intercession on behalf of sinners (Peck, 2007, para. 7).

Keeping All Saints’ Day: 
From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

All Saints day I - Wassily Kandinsky
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/wassily-kandinsky/all-saints-day-i-1911
While Roman Catholics and Anglicans/Episcopalians ask saints to serve as intermediaries between themselves and God, and Protestants pray to God directly, all Christians can teach Christian traditions and spur the faithful to lead lives in service to others by observing All Saints’ Day.  Hence, while some ideas found Online apply only to the Roman Catholic celebration of All Saints day, Protestants are increasingly recognizing the value of observing this feast day as a call for renewal while Roman Catholics and Anglicans have come to recognize that all Christians can use this day as a time to emulate the lives of Christian heroes. Accordingly, all followers of might benefit by observing that each Christian is called to use his or her unique spiritual gifts to help others.
Beal, Jennifer. (n. d.). All Saints’ Day activities for kids.  eHowUK.  Retrieved from http://www.ehow.co.uk/way_6167978_saints-day-activities-kids.html

Beal believes that All Saints’ Day activities if conducted properly can teach children and young adults about the symbology of the Church, so she has come up with several meaningful activities:  For example, children can participate in a procession marching behind banners they have created symbolizing their favorite saints, and they can take part in a scavenger hunt, locating items associating particular saints with a particular location within the church; for instance, items associated with St. Cecelia might be found in the choir loft, and  items associated with St. John the Baptist might be found near the baptism font (Beal, n. d.,  para. 1-3).  In the weeks leading up to All Saints’ Day, youth groups might come up with their own “saints”, identifying contemporary Christians who help others deal with problems like bullying.  The entire congregation might also take an All Saints’ quiz to familiarize themselves with well-known saints (Beal, n. d., para. 4-5).

Bourque, Sarah.  (2013, January 30).  Catholic All Saints’ Day.  Activities for Kids.  Livestrong.  Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/560680-catholic-all-saints-day-activities-for-kids/


Bourque's activities honoring saints help favorite saints, although some observant Catholics may find them sacrilegious: For instance, Bourque suggests making a game of tossing glow stick “halo” bracelets over statues of saints and matching names of saints and their images glued on poker chips, although learning about the lives of saints is certainly a way to memorialize the dead (2013, para. 2).  She also suggests that children make felt doll and  paper bag puppets  to present saints’ plays and that children make sugar cookies, decorating them with the images of their favorite saints (2013, para. 2-4).  

Readers of Bourque’s link that seeks to teach children the names and images of saints might appreciate this link:
Guide, Lauren. (2012, November 12).  CatholicMom.com.  Retrieved from http://catholicmom.com/2012/11/12/how-to-create-a-family-litany/

Guide recommends including all family members in writing or revising the family’s personal litany, inserting the names of saints that are particularly appropriate choices to serve as role models and intercessors (para. 2, 2010): She suggests starting out with the confirmation or saint names for family members and then adding the names of saints that have a special meaning for the family;  for example, the name of the  church which the family attends and/or the city where the family lives might furnish the name of a favorite saint while the family might also include the names of saints associated with particular locations and causes (Guide, 2012, para. 4-5).  Guide associates this with charism (2012, para. 4), or the theological concept that God gives spiritual gifts to each Christian to help others (1 Corinthians 12: 8-10).

The Web sites below will help family members come up with saints to include in their own personal litany:
Who knew that Our Lady of the Annunciation is the patron saint of Texas?

Sachteleben, Marlisa. (2010, October 21).  Catholic All Saints Day Party.  Games.  Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/catholic-all-saints-day-party-games-7011112.html?cat=34

Sachteleben suggests using religious medals, saint statues, and rosary beads as favors for those children who participate (2010, para. 1).  Children can dress as their favorite bible character or saint, play BINGO with SAINT  [not saints since the board needs to match the same number of spaces that the word BINGO does] written across the top, play musical chairs to the tune of “When the Saints Come Marching In”, or participate in an All Saints Cakewalk. Younger children can color or play with saint paper dolls (Sachteleben, 2010, para. 2-5).

Ethnic Celebrations of All Saints’ Day

 
Incorporating ethnic celebrations of All Saints’ Day into American life can also help integrate All Saints’ Day back into popular culture.  While families may not be able to visit grandmother or granddad’s grave on this day, they can incorporate Colcannon, strietzel, Ossi di Morto cookies, and boniatillo and pannellets dishes into their All Saints’ Day menu choices, decorate using traditional All Saints’ Day white or yellow flowers as well as candles, and lanterns instead of Halloween-themed decorations, reminiscence about departed family members, and perhaps most importantly understand that once upon a time Halloween was not the major emphasis of this holy day season.  Thus, Christian parents, whether they are Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, or mainline or evangelical Protestants, need to set aside the time to explain Christian traditions as well as challenge both themselves and their children that they too must strive to be the best saints they can possibly be.  Meanwhile, educated Americans need to recognize that Western Europe furnishes the world with a great repository of paintings and music associated with All Saints’ Day.

France: 

Cantera, Christine. (2010, October 28).  All Saint’s Day in France. WhyGo France. Retrieved from http://www.francetravelguide.com/all-saints-day-in-france.html
La Toussaint is a public holiday, so most business are closed.  After attending Mass, the French place chrysanthemums on their relatives’ graves, so it’s definitely a faux pas, or social blunder, to give them as a hostess gift (Cantera, 2010, para. 2-3).

How to celebrate All Saints Day in France. (2013). eHow. Demand Media, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_2064994_celebrate-all-saints-day-france.html

French Roman Catholics observe La Toussaint as a two-day festival—All Saints Day on November 1, and All Souls Day, November 2.  Not only is this a two-day holiday, but it’s also the start of a two-week break for students (How to France, 2013, para. 1-3). Masses honor the memory of saints while the French also visit cemeteries, leaving gifts, flowers, and wreaths (How to France, 2013, para. 3-4).  Children in Brittany also play practical jokes on All Saints Day (How to France, 2013, para. 5). 

French Louisiana:

Catholic activity:  All Saints Day in Louisiana. (2013). Catholic Culture.org.  Trinity Communications.  Reprinted from Your home: A church in miniature. (1994). Family Life Bulletin. Long Prairie, Minnesota:  Neumann Press. Retrieved from http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=820

In Louisiana, Roman Catholics clean and decorate family tombs, those who can afford to do so adorning them with chrysanthemums and dahlias. In some parishes, priests bless the graves in local cemeteries, the Mass ending in the singing of the Libera [me] (Catholic activity, 2013, para.2).  The Libera me, which translates into English as “Deliver me” is a responsory hymn sung in the Office of the Dead and the absolution of the death as found in the lyrics and the video that follows:
Mexico:

Erichsen, Gerald.  (2013). Day of the Dead Honors the Deceased.  Spanish language.  About.com. Retrieved from http://spanish.about.com/cs/culture/a/dayofdead.htm
 
Mexico’s El Día de los Muertos at first glance looks a lot like American Halloween, but the two holidays have different philosophies: Whereas Halloween views death as something to be feared, the Day of the Dead celebrates the memory of those who have died (Erichsen, 2013, para. 1-2).  When the Spanish conquered Mexico, the Roman Catholic Church co-opted the Aztec month-long celebration honoring the goddess Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead, merging this festival with All Saints’ Day (Erichsen, 2013, para. 3).  Although traditions vary from region to region, many Mexicans build an altar upon a loved one’s grave to welcome his or her spirit home since families observe the Day of the Dead by visiting cemeteries to tend relatives’ graves while pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, remains a favorite food (Erichsen, 2013, para. 4):

Ireland:

Gantley, Veronica. (2012, November 1).  Colcannon: An All Saints Day tradition.  Catholic Mom. Retrieved from http://catholicmom.com/2012/11/01/colcannon-an-all-saints-day-tradition/


This comfort food reminds the faithful of the saints who have passed on (Gantley, 2012, para. 1).  Thus, she includes a recipe for this mixture of creamed mashed potatoes, friend cabbage, and onions.

Germany:

How to celebrate All Saints Day in Germany. (2013). eHow.  Demand Media, Inc.  Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/how_2064996_celebrate-all-saints-day-germany.html
Roman Catholic Germans mark Allerheiligentag with solemnity and respect, gathering with family to attend church services, celebrate a family dinner, and tend the gravesites of loved ones.  In the German states of Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Northrhine Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, and Saarland, Allerheiligentag is an official holiday (How to Germany, 2013, para. 1-2). In the morning, the family attends a special Mass, Allerheiligen Gottesdiens, where the sermon focuses on leading a saintly life (How to Germany, 2013, para. 3).

As the church bells peal out at noon, the family gets together for a holiday meal.  Tradition holds that the souls of the dead walk among the living on Allerheiligentag until the bells repeal their presence.  Thus, after the noon meal, it’s safe for the family to head to the cemetery where they place flowers, evergreen boughs, and lanterns and candles on their loved ones graves, the lanterns and candles lighting their way to God (How to Germany, 2013, para. 4).  Returning from tending these graves, family members gather for a Kaffee and Kuchen party, which features streitzel, a holiday bread god parents give their godchildren.  In some villages, children also go caroling (How to Germany, 2013, para 4 & 5).   A recipe for strietzel follows:

Carolers can also access a selection of Christian hymns appropriate for All Saints Day via this link:

22nd Sunday after Pentecost.  All Saints Day. (1992). Suggested hymns from Hymnsite.com. Revised common lectionary:  Consultation on common texts.  Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press.  Revised from http://www.hymnsite.com/lection/cpe23.htm

Italy:


How to celebrate All Saints Day in Italy.  (2013). eHow.  Demand Media, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_2064993_celebrate-all-saints-day-italy.html


Tutti i Santi Ognissnati, which commemorates the Church’s saints and martyrs, is a two- or three-day festival since Italians also observe All Hallows Eve and All Souls Day (How to Italy, 2013, para. 1). On October 31st, they sit day to a traditional harvest festival meal, finishing it off with unfermented wine and roasted chestnuts (How to Italy, 2013, para. 2).  On All Saints Day, the family attends Mass and then visits the cemetery, decorating the graves of loved ones with fall flowers.  While completing this chore, parents tell their children that if they behave, their dearly departed will have brought them gifts when they return home as shown in the English translation of a Sicilian saying: “Holy souls, holy souls, I am one. You are many.  While I am in this world of troubles, bring me lots of presents from dead people.” (How to Italy, 2013, para. 3).  Afterwards, the family sits down to a meal that includes peas and lentils, a dish traditional known as “soul food”.  Then they end the meal with a “Bones of the Dead” or an Ossi di Morto cookie (How to Italy, 2013, para. 5).  The All Saints holiday season also marks the start of the Italian opera season as well as coinciding with many regional truffle and chestnut fairs (How to Italy, 2013, para. 4).


Poland:

How to celebrate All Saints Day in Poland. (2013). eHow. Demand Media, Inc.  Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/how_2064990_celebrate-all-saints-day-poland.html
 

Poles combine the celebration of All Saints Day, or Wszstkich Swietych, on November 1st, with All Souls Day, November 2n, where they light candles, or znicze, at the graves of relatives to help the souls find their way.  They also deck tombstones with yellow and white chrysanthemums and asters. Parishioners hand the priest a Wypominki, a piece of paper bordered in black wherein they write the name of the deceased for whom they want him to pray (How to Poland, 2013, para. 1-4).  Poles also make sure to set aside food for the poor on this day (How to Poland, 2013, para. 5). 

Spain: 
How to celebrate All Saints Day in Spain. (2013). eHow. Demand Media, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_2064989_celebrate-all-saints-day-spain.html


All Saints Day is a national holiday in Spain and in Spanish-speaking countries, so all businesses are closed.  Spaniards start the day by visiting the cemetery, placing offendas, or offerings, of flowers on the graves of their loved ones. Masses are also often held in cemeteries (How to Spain, 2013, para. 1-2).  Celebrators also often attend José Zorilla’s “Don Juan Tenorio”, a play wherein Don Juan must choose between salvation and damnation (How to Spain, 2013, para. 3).  At the end of a family holiday meal, it’s also customary to be served el boniatio [or boniatillo], chestnuts served with sweet potatoes, and small almond cakes called pannellets, inspired by the legend of Maria, la Castañera, or the chestnut seller (How to Spain, 2013, para. 4-5).  A link to Juan Tenoria follows:




Recipes for el boniatio and pannellets can be accessed below:


  • Boniatillo. (2013, January 30).  Adapted from Boniatillo/sweet potato desert from A Taste of Old Cuba by Maria Josefa Luria de O’Higgins.  Hungry Sofia.  Retrieved from http://hungrysofia.com/2013/01/30/boniatillo/  

Videos on All Saints’ Day

Aboumoussa, Joe. (2012, May 6).  The History of All Saints and All Soul Days. St. Joseph’s School Studios. YouTube.  (12:46 minutes).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJBtcgFl0EM
 
Video presents a history of All Saints and All Souls Day, defines just who saints are, justifies the reasons for showing icons and images of saints, and provides the theological basis of All Souls’ Day in this well-put-together film.  The narrative likens saints to alumni cheering on their team.

Chandler, Neil. (2007, September 27).  All Saints Day.  YouTube. (2:27 minutes).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_aMdnqny4Y

British video poses the question, “Who is a saint” whereupon it gives the reasons behind celebrating All Saints’ Day. This thoughtful video applies to both Roman Catholic and Protestant versions of this Christian holiday.

Edsirois.  All Saints Day (featuring “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns.  (5:43 minutes).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Yxf0FC12E

Video gives an explanation of All Saints Day as well as providing a gallery of pictures of prominent saints—both modern and ancient while the lyrics “Let my lifesong sing to you” offer an underlying theme for the day.

Children’s Books about All Saints’ Day

Chambers, Catherine. (1997). All Saints, All Souls, and Halloween.  World of Holidays.  Chicago: Raintree. 

Chambers explains the tradition of All Saints Day that come from Europe and Latin American and their influence on American Halloween.

Lasky, Kathryn. (1994). Days of the Dead.  Knight, Christopher G. (Photographer). New York: Hyperion.

Lasky delves into the history behind this Mexican festival as the book shadows an individual family celebrating El Día de los Muertos.   

Music for All Saints’ Day

Music appreciation students to be should familiarize themselves with these All Saints’ Day musical selections:

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus.  (1791). Mozart—Requiem in D Minor.  K626. (50:15 minutes).  Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ra0wDScRwg

Although Mozart patterned this Mass after some of Handel’s work, this unfinished Requiem Mass is a masterpiece in its own right.

Music for All Saints Day. (2012, November 12).  A Clerk of Oxford.  Retrieved from
http://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2012/11/music-for-all-saints-day.html

Web site contains a collection of videos of hymns associated with All Saints’ Day. Although the video photography may not be that clear, users can certainly enjoy the inspirational songs.

Schola Cantorum and Gregoriana. Toussaint—All Saints’ Day Requiem:  Gregorian Chant from Fontfrode. (2013). All Music.  Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/album/toussaint-all-saints-day-requiem-gregorian-chant-from-fontfroide-mw0001848276

Audio recording provides 24 separate Gregorian chants that make up the Toussaint Requiem Mass and Office of the Dead. “Toussaint” is French for All Saints.

__________________________



What a Treat!

Music Resources Online for Children






Young children might enjoy listening to the following Web sites:




http://childrensmusic.org/
K.P.R.  Music Resources for Children Online
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Celebrating All Saints' Day in Paintings

In Art Appreciation 101, a picture, to use a cliché, is worth a thousand words:

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