RCIA October 30
Halloween, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, and the Catholic Church
Every year around the middle to end of September, our stores and houses start to transition from summer fun to fall and Halloween. My husband has to be firm in our family that no decorations can go up until October 1 because the kids and I do go crazy. Each year we try to get scarier, within reason of, course, but it is an act of careful placement that will change a dozen or so times before "it is just right." The costumes come next, and Halloween is officially underway in our house. Halloween Eve (or All Hallows Eve) being on Sunday this year (Halloween being on Monday) has had me hone in on the aspects of our faith, rather than just focusing on how scary we can make our house or how many times we watch the Nightmare before Christmas. However, as we near Halloween, All Saints' Day (Nov. 1), and All Souls' Day (Nov. 2), let's remember who and why we celebrate these days.
First, let's look at the word Halloween. Dr. Malcolm Brown explained that the word Halloween refers to the Feast of All Saints. The word itself is taken from an older English term, "hallows," meaning "holy"; and "e'en," a truncation of the word evening, in reference to the Vigil of the Feast the next day. "So really, Halloween is the feast of the celebration of the feast of All Hallows'," he said. "So it's a day when Catholics celebrate the triumph of the Church in heaven, and the lives of the saints on earth" (Vatican News website).
After the fun night of Halloween, we wake up on November 1 to celebrate All Saint's Day.
"On the feast of All Saints, we honor those men and women who—whether they’ve been canonized (officially named a Saint by the Catholic Church) or not—have led lives of heroic virtue that set an example for all Christians. Saints are big dreamers. They believe that with God on their side, no one and nothing can stop them. Saints are go-getters. They don’t wait for someone else to do good first; they jump right in. Saints are love-bringers. They try to see Christ in every person and every situation. Saints tell us what matters most in life is not what we earn or own, not the job we have or the people we know. What really matters is how much we love God, others, and ourselves, and how well we show that love in all we do" (Loyola Press).
After all the fun of Halloween, and All Saint’s Day, we celebrate All Souls’ Day or The Commemoration of Faithful Departed, on November 2. We are still honoring those who have gone before us, but we turn our focus to those family and friends who are waiting for us in Heaven. In Mexico, it is called Dia de los Muertos. If you have watched Disney’s Coco, it shows a great example of how Dia de los Muertos is celebrated.
“In Mexico, All Souls' Day is celebrated as Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Altars are assembled in honor of the departed and decorated with flowers and sugar candy skulls, skeleton toys, candles, photographs, bread, chocolate, and the favorite food and drink of the departed. Families then go to cemeteries and wash the tombstones and decorate them. Modern urban Mexican families usually observe the Day of the Dead with a special family supper featuring the “Bread of the Dead” (pan de muerto). It is good luck to be the one who bites into the plastic toy skeleton hidden by the baker in each rounded loaf” (Loyola Press).
As for secular traditions that we all have adopted, pumpkin carving and patches, all things pumpkin spice, haunted houses (or alleys!), costumes, and an insane amount of candy, let us remember why Halloween is here and the meaning behind it. On this particular Sunday of Halloween, the eve of All Saints' Day, go to or live-stream Mass, light a candle for the ones we have lost, bring out the photo album and share why that person was special to you, and remember the souls who have departed before us. The church created this holy day to remember not the Alpha, the beginning of time, but the Omega, the end of time. While they are gone, they are not forgotten and live in our hearts daily. Let us celebrate them as the Church calls us to do.
Saints for your journey
Here are some resources to find more about Saints...