The early Popes formalized the common annual practice of paying honor to all saints. They instituted the setting-aside of one particular day as All Saints Day. Pope Gregory III declared that November 1st should be the day when all Western Christians pay honor to all saints. Leaders of the Orthodox Christians created a calendar that placed All Saints Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The decision by the early popes to lend authority to what had become a favored practice brought to fruition a process that began soon after the death of Jesus Christ. Halloween or All Hollows Eve developed following the formalization of an All Saints Day. The institution of All Saints Day highlighted the emphasis that the early Christian Church placed on all saints.
After the crucifixion of Christ, many early Christians died at the hands of unbelieving government authorities. Such martyrs became revered by the other Christian believers. Those early Christians frequently sought to recognize the anniversary of an act of martyrdom. Sometimes more than one Christian died a martyr's death on the same day, or even at the same location. The honoring at one time of many martyrs gradually changed to the honoring on one day of all saints.
When the popes called for the honoring of all saints what did they mean by "all saints"? Catholic doctrine taught that the term "all saints" referred to only those who had been canonized by the Pope. The long process of canonization usually took place after the death of a Christian who had demonstrated saintly behavior. Such behavior needed to include the act of performing a miracle. All saints, i.e. all those who had been canonized, could intercede for those on Earth and were therefore to be honored on All Saints Day.
After the reformation the members of the Protestant churches had a very different definition for the term "all saints." According to the teachings of the reformation, all who believe in Christ are saints. Therefore, the clergy of the Protestant churches dissuaded the members of their respective churches from seeking intervention from the saints. They taught that Christ is the only savior and mediator.
A few cultures have adapted traditions that were tied to the practice of honoring all saints. Catholic believers in Mexico chose to have annual family reunions on the plots of land that served as burial grounds. The Mexicans also used altars on which to place offerings to all saints.
Somehow the honoring of all saints introduced the concept of Hallowmas. Although this was an ancient festival, recent attempts have been made to revive it. In 1999 one group held a week long festival called Hallowmas in Toronto, Canada. During that week the members of that group enjoyed Gothic music and Gothic-related activities.
The Hallowmas celebrated in Toronto in 1999 differed greatly from the first All Saints Day. And neither that Hallowmas nor the first All Saints Day had any resemblance to the first Sunday after the Pentecost, the first recorded attempt to pay honor to all saints. Yet all three observances underline the prevailing interest of Christian believers in all saints.