Halloween and All Saints' Day

Today is All Hallow's Eve, or the eve of the Feast of All Saints. All Saints' Day commemorates the saints of the church, known and unknown, and is one of the four feast days recommended for Holy Baptism.

Although scholars disagree as top the exact origins of All Saints' Day, the first recorded celebration of the festival of All Saints was in 610 when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs. However, some believe the celebrations of All Saints' began as the ancient pagan festival of Lemures, celebrated May 13, to appease malevolent and restless spirits of the dead. These Lemures were not the fuzzy animals shown here, (Lemurs) but were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae (sing. larva = mask) as disturbing or frightening.

During the eighth century, Pope Gregory III suppressed the feast on May 13, and moved the day of remembrance to November 1.

In the tenth century, November 2, All Souls' Day, became a holy days as well. All Souls' Day serves as a day for families and friends to remember their departed loved ones.

Many Latino congregations celebrate the day of the Dead ( Dia de los Muertos) on November 2 (All Souls' Day.) For a funny look at an attempt at such a celebration, see Maria Semple's article from the October 24, The New Yorker magazine: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/24/111024sh_shouts_semple

Halloween itself is probably not Roman in origin but Celtic, from the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-an or sow-in), derived from the Old Irish Samuin meaning “summer's end.” Samhain was the first and by far the most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Irish and Scottish calendar and, falling on the last day of Autumn, it was a time for stock-taking and preparation for the cold winter months ahead. There was also a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things could happen. To ward off these spirits, the Gaels built huge, symbolically regenerative bonfires and invoked the help of the gods through animal and perhaps even human sacrifice.

Halloween was no doubt influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints' Day (also known as Hallowmas, All Hallows or Hallowtide) and All Souls' Day. Falling on November 1st and 2nd respectively. By the end of the 12th century they had become days of holy obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing bells for the souls in purgatory and “souling,” the custom of baking bread or soul cakes for “all crysten [christened] souls.”

In Britain the rituals of Hallowtide and Halloween came under attack during the Reformation as Protestants denounced purgatory as a “popish” doctrine. In addition the increasing popularity of Guy Fawkes Night from 1605 on saw Halloween become eclipsed in Britain with the notable exception of Scotland. There, and in Ireland, they had been celebrating Samhain and Halloween since the early Middle Ages and it is believed the Scottish Kirk took a more pragmatic approach towards Halloween, viewing it as important to the life cycle and rites of passage of local communities and thus ensuring its survival in the country.

North American almanacs of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century give no indication that Halloween was recognized as a holiday. The Puritans of New England, for example, maintained strong opposition to the holiday and it was not until the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that the holiday was introduced to the continent in earnest. Initially confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-nineteenth century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the twentieth century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. According to the Hallmark Corporate Website, (and they ought to know!) Halloween is now the third most popular holiday in the United States, behind New Year's Eve and the Super Bowl.

Collect for All Saints' Day

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Sons Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, on God, in glory everlasting. Amen