all-hallows

All-Hallows Day is a time for quiet reflection in the church.

Definition

1. Noun (plural in form, usually treated as singular):
   • A Christian festival: "all-hallows" refers to the feast day of All Saints, observed on November 1st, honoring all Christian saints, known and unknown. The term is an archaic or poetic form of "All Hallows' Day" or "All Saints' Day."
   • The eve of this festival: "all-hallows" can also denote the evening before, i.e., October 31st, now commonly known as Halloween (from "All Hallows' Eve").

Usage Examples

• (The festival of All Saints on November 1st.)
• (The eve of the festival, i.e., Halloween.)

Advanced Usage

• "All-hallows Summer": a period of mild weather in late autumn, similar to Indian summer, occurring around the time of All Saints' Day.

  • We enjoyed an unexpected all-hallows summer, with warm afternoons in November. (A warm spell during the All Saints season.)

• "All-hallows Tide": the season or period surrounding All Saints' Day, including All Hallows' Eve and All Souls' Day (November 2nd).

  • The community observed all-hallows tide with prayers and candlelight vigils. (The three-day period from October 31st to November 2nd.)

Variants and Related Words

• All Hallows' Day (n): the full name for the festival on November 1st.

  • All Hallows' Day is a holy day of obligation in many Christian traditions. (The official feast of All Saints.)

• All Hallows' Eve (n): the evening before All Hallows' Day, now called Halloween.

  • On All Hallows' Eve, people would light bonfires to ward off evil spirits. (The night of October 31st.)

• Halloween (n): a contraction of "All Hallows' Eve," now a secular holiday on October 31st.

  • Halloween is celebrated with costumes, candy, and haunted houses. (The modern version of the ancient festival.)

Synonyms

• All Saints' Day: the more common modern term for the November 1st festival.
• Halloween: specifically the eve of all-hallows.
• Hallowmas: an archaic term for the feast of All Saints (from "hallow" meaning saint, and "mas" meaning mass).

Related Idioms

• "To keep all-hallows": to observe or celebrate the festival of All Saints.

  • The villagers would keep all-hallows with a solemn procession to the church. (To honor the saints through ritual.)

• "On all-hallows night": referring specifically to the night of October 31st, associated with supernatural events in folklore.

  • On all-hallows night, it was said that the dead could walk among the living. (The traditional belief about Halloween night.)