So the church at Rome was where this change to pagan day of the sun was spreading, the Romans substituted their own sun god, Sol, and named the day "dies solis", meaning "sun's day," in Latin. This was picked up through the Roman Empire and Constantine then made his proclamation in 321 Constantine and declared dies Solis Invicti (“Invincible Sun-day”) to be the day of rest throughout the Roman Empire. So we see where it came from, not God but from man and his 'tradition'.
Now we see even more the effects that came from these changes in this
study.. "while the Catholic Church can 'categorically deny' that it ever gave the 'Saints' to the people to worship or pray to and say it was 'veneration', the pagan masses were drawn in by their use, and what they had always done. So the 'spirits' became the 'Saints' to watch over them and to give their prayers directly to them. They could go on believing in the power of the dead of the ancient beliefs now set up as 'Saints' in the church, to help them in their troubles as they had done before. Some of the early Christians protested against the this 'veneration' of the Saints which was essentially the continuation of the old Roman religion, but their attempts were swept by the influx of the pagan masses.
Now looking at the 'veneration' and the festivals which came in, there are some specific festivals that go back directly to pagan customs connected with the dead. All Saints' Day, was observed on the the Roman festival of the dead, the Lemuria. In the modern festival the faithful visit the tombs of the Saints, venerate their relics, and pray for their blessing. The next day also, the second of November, All Souls' Day, unquestionably reproduces some of the features of the Parentalia.
"Parentalia, Roman religious
festival held in honour of the dead. The festival, which began at noon on February 13 and
culminated on February 21, was essentially a private celebration of the rites of deceased family members. It was gradually extended, however, to incorporate the dead in general. During the days of the festival, all temples were closed and no weddings could be performed. On the last day a public ceremony, the Feralia, was held, during which offerings and gifts were placed at the graves and the anniversary of the funeral feast was celebrated." ...
Parentalia | Roman religious festival
So we see how this nine day festival held to honor the dead ancestors with visits to tombs and sacred offerings, got into the church, and 'Christians' then went to the cemeteries and decked the graves of the members of their family with flowers and candles. So it was not long that there were ceremonies which took the place of the ancient 'veneration', for the 'souls of the departed'.
We find even more on All Saints Day...
Catholic scholars themselves admit that the day they call "All Saints' Day" was not observed by early Christians, but was a later addition:
ALL SAINTS. As early as the fourth century, the Greeks kept on the first Sunday after Pentecost the feast of all martyrs and saints, and we still possess a sermon of St. Chrysostom de-livered on that day.
In the West, the feast was introduced by Pope Boniface the Fourth after he had dedicated, as the Church of the Blessed Virgin and the Martyrs, the Pantheon, which had been made over to him by the Emperor Phocas. The feast of the dedication was kept on the thirteenth of May. About 731 Gregory III. consecrated a chapel in St. Peter's Church in honour of all the saints, from which time All Saints' Day has been kept in Rome, as now, on the first of November. From about the middle of the ninth century, the feast came into general observance throughout the West. (Addis W, Arnold T. Catholic Dictionary, 6th ed. The Catholic Publication Society Co, 1887. Nihil Obstat. EDUARDUS S. KEOGH, CONG. ORAT., Censor Deputatu Imprimatur. HENRICUS EDUARDUS, CARD. ARCHIEP. WESTMONAST. Die 18 Dec., 1883. Imprimatur. John Card. McCloskey, Archbishop of New York. Feb. 14, 1884. Copyright, Lawrence Kehoe, 1884/1887. p20).
All Saints' Day
In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops of the province of Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407). (Mershman, Francis. "All Saints' Day." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 11 Aug. 2013 <
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: All Saints' Day>)...
Here is information on when and how people keep All Saints Day:
All Saints' Day
All Saints' Day is a celebration of all Christian saints, particularly those who have no special feast days of their own, in many Roman Catholic, Anglican and Protestant churches. In many western churches it is annually held November 1 and in many eastern churches it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day.
What Do People Do?
All Saints' Day is observed by Christians in many countries around the world. In countries such as Spain, Portugal and Mexico, offerings are made on this day. In countries such as Belgium, Hungary and Italy people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In other parts of Europe, such as Austria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania, it is customary to light candles on top of visiting graves of deceased relatives. It is also observed in parts of Asia, such as the Philippines, where people visit graves of deceased relatives and clean or repair them. They also lay flowers on the graves and light candles.
All Saints' Day accessed 10/01/19
Prayers for to the dead saints are often given then....
Catholic scholars also reported:
All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. It should not be confused with All Souls' Day, which is observed on November 2, and is dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven.
Although millions, or even billions of people may already be saints, All Saints' Day observances tend to focus on known saints --that is those recognized in the canon of the saints by the Catholic Church.
All Saints' Day is also commemorated by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as some protestant churches, such as Anglican, Lutheran and Anglican churches.
Generally, All Saints' Day is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics are required to attend Mass on that day, unless they have an excellent excuse, such as serious illness.
Today, All Saints' Day is still a holy day of obligation, but only when it falls on a Sunday. Other countries have different rules according to their national bishop's conferences. The bishops of each conference have the authority to amend the rules surrounding the obligation of the day. (All Saints' Day. CatholicOnline.
All Saints' Day - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online accessed 10/23/15)
It is considered a day of obligation by the Church of Rome, but it is not a biblical holy day.
The Pantheon was originally a pagan shrine for multiple gods and was turned into a Catholic shrine for multiple "saints."
Pantheon of Rome: A Symbol of Unity Among Confusion
How All Saints' Day actually became a universal holiday shows another type of pagan connection:
All Saints' Day ... It was first celebrated on May 13, A.D. 610, as the Feast of All Holy Martyrs, when the Emperor Phocas gave the ancient Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV as a church (All Saints' Day. World Book, vol 1. Chicago, 1966: 354).
The Romans built the Pantheon as a temple in honor of all their gods. The name means of all the gods ... Agrippa first built the famous Pantheon in Rome in 27 B.C. (Pantheon. World Book, vol 15. Chicago, 1966: 111).
Druid ... priests worshiped some gods similar to those of the Greeks and Romans, but under different names (Druid. World Book, vol 5. Chicago, 1966: 289).
Of course, some feel that although the Druids worshiped the pagan deities under different names that is wrong, yet they accepted the change of the names of the "gods" in the Pantheon to the "Catholic saints" as perfectly acceptable.