On November 1, Roman Catholics throughout Slovakia observed All Saints' Day – a day when people gather in churches and cemeteries to pray for relative that have passed away. Priests recalled in their sermons that the Saints - all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven and by their lives – set an example to living Christians, the TASR wrote.
The history of the All Saints’ holiday goes back to the beginning of the 7th century, when Pope Boniface IV changed the pagan Pantheon in Rome into a Christian church in the year 610 AD. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 to be All Saints' Day.
November 1 has been celebrated in Slovakia as a state holiday since 1994. In the 10th and 11th centuries, All Souls' Day or Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed was established to follow All Saints' Day. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
