What is the Sunday of All Saints?

Sunday of All Saints is a week after Sunday of Pentecost. But, why is a series of important Saints being celebrated on that day?

The rationale behind this joint feast is the founding of the Church after the resurrection of Christ followed by the descent of the Holy Spirit. This brought to the world the possibility of man’s union with God. Thus, the Church decided that. All the Saints throughout time should be celebrated in a common feast on the Sunday immediately after the feasts of Pentecost and Monday of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday of All Saints is a moveable feast that falls 56 days after Easter. This year it is celebrated on 27th June. On that day we commemorate those who have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, the Fathers and Patriarchs, the Prophets and Holy Apostles, the Martyrs and the Hierarchs, the Holy Martyrs, the Holy and Righteous and in general the Holy Women and Men that have been sanctified.

The community of all Saints

This joint feast also reveals the communal character and the unity of all Orthodox Saints and, as a result, of all Orthodox Christians of all times and all people, from the time of the Apostles until this very day. This way the Church, and in essence all Orthodox Christians, intends to honour even all those numerous Saints, whose names and lives have not been made known to the people.

On Monday right after Sunday of All Saints begins the fast in honour of the Holy Apostles which ends on 29th June, the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (On 30th June we celebrate the 12 Apostles). It is a light Lent, in which fish is allowed except for Wednesdays and Fridays.

On Sunday of All Saints we commemorate St Metrophanes Archbishop of Constantinople, St Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Maria, St John the Holy Martyr Abbot of Monagria, as well as Saints Alonios and Sophia the ascetic.

Elissaios, Elisso
Niphon
Agamemnon,
Agisilaos, Agis, Agoritsa, Agoro,
Aeolus, Aesop (Aisopos) Albert,
Alcestis, Alcinous, Alcmene,
Alfred, Amphitrite,
Anaximander, Androcles,
Andromeda, Antiope, Arete
Aretousa, Arthur, Area
Aristomenes, Harmonia, Arya,
Beatrice, Velissarios, Venetia,
Venetios, Venizelos, Violet,
Brasidas
Jasmine, Jolanda
Glaucus, Gorgias
Diagoras, Dikaios
Evelyn, Hector, Elvira, Henrietta
Eriphyle, Erica, Henry
Erotokritos, Evagoras, Euripides,
Eurydice
Zotos,
Eve, Electra, Hera, Ero, Eos
Thelxi, Thrasos, Thrasyvoulos,
Ino, Jocasta, Iole, Hippocrates
Isabella
Callimachus, Kalomira, Calypso,
Canela, Canelos, Charles,
Cassandra, Kimon
Circe, Claire, Clara, Cleanthe,
Cleanthes, Clearchus, Cleomenes,
Komnenos, Krateros, Criton,
Cybele, Cyrene
Laertes, Lana, Lara, Lila,
Lilian, Logothetis, Lycurgus,
Lysandros,
Malvene, Manthos, Mandalena,
Marissa, Melissa,
Melinoe, Menoas, Meranda,
Mirela, Myrto
Napoleon, Nausicaa,
Neoklis, Neoptoleemus, Nea, Niobe,
Odette, Othon, Orpheas,
Ophelia,
Pagona, Panorea Periander,
Polycrates, Pulia, Praxiteles,
Pythagoras,
Rodothea,
Semina,
Tereza, Terpsithea, Timoleon,
Yvonne,
Phaidon, Phidias,
Frangiskos, Franceska