Spooks or Saints?
The Halloween climate in today's American culture has grown into a major secular holiday. When did it all begin? For many, October 31 has become "hollow" instead of "hallow". For Catholics, the purpose behind All Hallows Eve (October 31) is to initiate a two-day celebration dedicated to remembering Saints of the Church and deceased family members. The celebrations are commonly known as All Saints Day and All Souls Day. But Halloween, with scary slants and focused fear, reduces the eve of remembrance to a dark, empty spree. If we take the Saints away from Hallows Eve, our beliefs about death, dignity, and the destiny of human beings suffer. And the only thing left is Pre-Christian superstition about the dead.
Historically, around the 9th century, the early Church celebrated the feast day of All Saints Day on May 13. It was celebrated after Easter (the resurrection of Christ). The date was deliberately changed to November 1, 835 A.D., to Christianize pagan practices for remembering the dead. In essence, to bring light into darkness. This change offered hope for people about the most basic fear we had at the time, DEATH.
Only in Western societies are beliefs about Halloween spooky, ghoulish, and fearful. CLOWNS are now considered evil! Take a look at our movies around this time of year; the nightmare factories, children's costumes, and dreadful actions against others. If we are not founded in His light, fear might paralyze us into not moving toward hope in times of crisis. Sometimes, we may end up sitting in the back pew, in the shadow of Jesus' vision of peace and justice. Fear might also dim the light we gain each year as we age. Yet, because we are a people of hope and are called to live out our faith, we hear the call to be a Christian visionary. We focus on Christ instead of ghosts and saints instead of serial killers.
All Hallows Eve, properly understood and celebrated (with all its fun and joy), can be a way for us to deepen our understanding of death. The realization about All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day is closer to hope than hopelessness, more about mortality than zombies in the mortuary.
Consider Halloween like Mardi Gras before a very serious Lent. We are encouraged to laugh at the dark side, dress up with fun intentions, and celebrate. We do so by remembering the Saints and loved ones who have passed on. We bring joyful thoughts to our souls about people who lived out their faith and family who have died.
Let us celebrate October 31 as All Hallows Eve, November 1 as All Saints Day, and November 2 as All Souls Day. These celebrations strive to provide light in the darkness of despair and hope for all people.
For more insight and a candid conversation with my son on the subject, click below:
