All Hallows Eve

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JMJ

Happy All Hallows Eve!  There is a great article posted today by a Dominican priest about Halloween, giving the history of the day and its Catholic roots. I always thought that the ghouls and ghosts were modern inventions but apparently not:

"It seems Irish Catholic peasants wondered about the unfortunate souls in hell. After all, if the souls in hell are left out when we celebrate those in heaven and purgatory (All Saints Day and All Souls Day), they might be unhappy enough to cause trouble. So it became customary to bang pots and pans on All Hallows Even to let the damned know they were not forgotten. . . .

And the tradition of dressing up actually came from the French:

 ". . .  this custom arose in France during the 14th and 15th centuries. Late medieval Europe was hit by repeated outbreaks of the bubonic plague — the Black Death — and she lost about half her population. It is not surprising that Catholics became more concerned about the afterlife. More Masses were said on All Souls’ Day, and artistic representations were devised to remind everyone of their own mortality.  We know these representations as the "Dance Macabre" or "Dance of Death," which was commonly painted on the walls of cemeteries and shows the devil leading a daisy chain of people — popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc. — into the tomb.  Sometimes the dance was presented on All Souls’ Day itself as a living tableau with people dressed up in the garb of various states of life. "

 Read the rest of the article here to found out how the two traditions eventually intermingled and how trick-or-treating came into the mix.


There is an ongoing controversy as to whether we, as Christians, should participate in a day that the culture uses to promote the occult.  Indeed the emphasis on the day has become similar to Christmas (in the commercial sense) with the seasonal costume stores set up like Christmas shops, and decorations on the lawns.  Yet many Catholics have found a great way to bring it back to it Christian roots by emphasizing the feast of All Saints Day. By dressing as and learning about the saints, children get excited about the faith through the lives of these inspiring men and women.  We can also take it as a tool of evangelization if we go throughout our neighborhoods trick-or-treating as the saints, being little lights for Christ. 


We can go one step further by reminding ourselves, our children, and our friends that November is the month of All Souls.  The souls are helpless without our prayers, and many are just waiting to be released from purgatory so they can enjoy eternal happiness in heaven.  Pray for the souls you knew and those who have no one to pray for them.  Have a holy day!


Update: As regards to Guy Fawkes Day (which was mentioned in the linked article), it is important to point out the following:  the author of the article failed to point out that this day of "celebration" in England has been historically marked by acts of violence against Catholics.   Raucous crowds often gathered to burn the pope in effigy.  Though the anti-Catholic nature and rhetoric have been toned down, its still important to note its origins.