All Hallows’ Eve
Happy Halloween!
Halloween derives its name from All Hallows’ Eve as it is the day before All Saints Day which has the alternative name of All Hallows Day. Hallow is a translation of holy, think of “hallowed be Thy Name” in the Lord’s Prayer.
The current November 1st date for All Saints was chosen due to the date of dedication of a chapel to All Saints by Pope Gregory III. Halloween is the first of what is seldom known as All Hallowstide when we celebrate a triduum (latin for 3 days) of death from October 31st-November 2nd. In some cultures October 30-November 8th is known as All Souls’ Week and in popular Catholic devotion the whole of November is dedicated to the faithful departed, the souls in purgatory.
As November 1st recognizes Heaven and the Saints, and the 2nd remembers the souls in purgatory, Halloween is meant to be a mockery of hell, death and evil as we remember that Jesus has conquered it by His death and resurrection. As a matter of fact Halloween ties into the end of the Church year as well as the secular year. Christ the King Sunday and Advent are recollections of Christ’s Kingship at the end of time and His Second coming. Thus the themes of “the 4 last things” namely, death, judgement, Heaven and Hell are on our minds from Halloween onward. Halloween exists for the same reason that gargoyles exist on churches, to illustrate the reality of evil.
Halloween can be celebrated by Christians as a second Easter per se because it commemorates Jesus’ conquering death and therefore we triumph over it in our celebrations by joy that death is not the end. We also aim to triumph after our death by imitating Christ, His Mother, Mary and His Saints while still on the mortal plain. Whats intriguing is how when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two and the dead rose from their tombs. Each Allhallowstide the veil between the dead and the living is gone and the dead visit us again!
Halloween is a great day to pray for the dead and against the powers of evil. Haunted houses, scary stories and movies are more fun ways to celebrate the fun of fear. Since we have faith in God we have no real thing to fear but we also recognize the existence of evil and death so that we may become detached from worldly things and pray for the souls in purgatory.
Halloween Symbols and Customs:
🎃Jack o Lanterns: Pumpkins are carved as a reminder of a legend of a stingy man named Jack. Jack made a deal with the devil that he couldn’t go to hell when he died. Jack was too wicked to enter Heaven and because of his deal, he couldn’t enter Hell. Because of this the devil threw him a coal from hell. Jack found a nearby garden and hollowed out a turnip to light the way as he wanders the earth, waiting out his purgatory. We remember Jack’s wandering and the souls of the departed who return to earth on the night when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. This story reminds us to live lives that do not resemble jacks wickedness. Jack o lanterns are also symbolic of souls with their candles giving light and “life”. In Catholic culture a person’s baptismal candle is sometimes burned down to the wick after the die to recall that they will rise to life with Christ for we who are baptized are baptized into His death and resurrection. Legend of Stingy Jack Cartoon
💀🪦 👻🧟♀️🧛🏻♂️Skeletons, graves, ghosts, zombies, mummies, vampires and all other depictions of death and decay: We recall our mortality, that life is passing by and therefore we must heed our call to conform our lives to Christ’s love, selflessness and detachment from worldly and vain things. Mummies are representations of the Egyptian customs for the dead, the customs we reflect on during Halloween. Vampires are popular variations of the living dead and they symbolize the fear that the dead could harm the living. While vampires and zombies feed off the living in legend, the souls in purgatory live off of our prayers and need our prayers to free them. An interesting side note: the Eucharist is the antidote to Dracula in some legends. Dracula who desires to drain the life force from humans is overcome by Christ who gave His life for all. Charnel Houses and Bone Chapels
🧙🏼♀️Witches: Witches like the subjects right above, symbolize wickedness and evil and remind us of the reality of evil in our world. Witches with ugly depictions are depictions of their souls as they have bound themselves to the devil. While the color green originated with the making of the Wizard of Oz (and now my favorite, Wicked and Wicked: For Good) for drama, most all of the symbols are related to what society would deem a crone or hag as well as the women who nursed people back to help and were accused of witchcraft. The hat was worn by women during the era of persecution whose symbolism had come down to us today. The broom a common household item was used for witch's transportation because ointments would be applied to broom handles to apply to the skin. Their hallucinogenic properties were akin to flying. Finally the witch’s cauldron, spells and brew is just a manipulation of women who provided healing remedies whose assistance was later demonized and their remedies turned to evil. These symbols also tie into a pagan goddess who is similar to the common legend of Father Time: An old aged person with signs of frail humanity who controls time.
🦇🕷🐈⬛ 🦉🐦⬛Bats, spiders, black cats, owls, crows or ravens and creatures of the night: These creatures are associated with witches and vampires sometimes called familiars. This is mostly because they are nocturnal and to be associated with night is to be associated with evil in olden times. Due to this unfortunately black cats are often less adopted and are targeted on Halloween. Ravens or crows are known as harbingers of death when you hear their call. But really creatures of the night are just harmless and understood and are representations of what we’re afraid of. See more about witches and vampires above.
👺Masks and costumes: Masks and costumes were used as a superstition to prevent the living as being recognized by the dead during the night when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest. To wear something different than usual would trick the dead into thinking you were one of them.
🍬 Trick or treating: Candy has replaced what were known as soul cakes when people would go door to door begging and they would promise to pray for the souls of the loved ones of those who treated them. Each soul cake represented a soul to be prayed for. The old rhyme that was replaced by trick or treat goes: “ A soul! a soul! a soul-cake! Please good Missis, a soul-cake! An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, Any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul Three for Him who made us all.” -From Wikipedia
Tip: Take trick or treaters by a nursing home because the residents are happy to treat and see visitors. Blue and teal pumpkins and buckets are being used to be more inclusive for trick or treaters who have autism or allergies to common candy ingredients.
🍎Bobbing for apples: Based in a pagan fertility superstition of the goddess Pomona and silly divination games for Halloween fortune telling. It is now commonly harmless fun as apples are Autumn specialties. Bobbing for apples can be interpreted also as a symbol for baptism. Apples are especially unique as they are commonly depicted as the fruit of our condemnation in Eden so now dunked in water we recall our salvation in Christ and the harmlessness of apples as we dunk our faces in the water to catch them.
🧡🖤: Orange and black are the colors of Halloween which symbolizes the harvest and death respectively. Occasionally purple is used which symbolizes witchcraft and magic.
Halloween Safety:
- Carry glow sticks or flashlights, use reflective tape or stickers on costumes and bags, and wear light colors to help kids see and be seen by drivers.
- Join kids under age 12 for trick-or-treating.
- Slow down and be alert! Kids are excited on Halloween and may dart into the street. Turn on headlights early in the day to spot kids from further away.
- Remind kids to cross the street at corners or crosswalks.
- When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls. Choose face paint over masks when possible. Masks can limit children’s vision.
- Set aside a quiet area in your home for pets away from the sound of the doorbell and party quests. Have gentle ambient music, blankets, toys, treats and anxiety spray if needed.
- Do not give pets candy. If they get into candy call animal poison control: 888-426-4435. Pumpkin is safe but in mild amounts for cats and dogs and make sure the pumpkin isn’t rotting before letting them snack as well as not giving them the rind.
- Avoid decor that’s a choking hazard as well as glow sticks and fake blood which are poisonous. Be mindful of any fragrances especially potpourri and candles if you have birds. Fake cobwebs especially are dangerous for wildlife.
- Avoid costumes if your pet isn’t comfortable with them especially hats, masks, chewable pieces or anything that alters mobility.
- Be sure to alert authorities or shelter any cats or other stray animals that may be targeted by superstition tonight.
An Irish Halloween (Note: The Church no longer believes in Limbo and therefore believes in the salvation of babies who die without baptism.)
Halloween Superstitions (Don't attempt to trap a snail, instead you can watch the trail they leave behind without bothering the snail.)
"The Halloween Tree" , a Fantastic History Lesson
(Some of my other favorites that are family friendly include Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scooby Doo and the Goblin King, Ed, Edd and Eddy Boo Haw Haw, The SpongeBob Halloween special: Scaredy Pants and the Halloweentown franchise.)
Fun Ideas from a Halloween Book: A tactile Haunted Tour in your home, a ping pong ball turned jack o lantern for your car antenna, A Whodunnit game using a deck of cards to decide who is the victim, murderer and detective.
Google takes part in Halloween fun when you click their logo. The search engine also provides results for free virtual tours of Haunted places.
Halloween and Mental Health:
For people with anxiety, acknowledging and accepting your feelings is important. Sometimes according to your comfort level and with a professionals guidance, facing your fears can actually help, allowing us to realize we have nothing to be afraid of. Mindful breathing and realizing we’re safe is also beneficial as long as you don’t hyperventilate. As a note for those with OCD or anything that causes them to obsess about having to partake in an overload of Halloween events, the holiday can remain immensely simple and spending the day with the spirit of remembering the dead in your daily activities suffices, but relaxing and handing out candy or watching scary movies works too! Likewise people with depression can live in the moment and experience the holiday in a way that feels comforting.Notice and allow yourself to recognize the sights, smells, sounds etc or the holiday. Don’t pressure yourself to feel or celebrate a certain way. Take Halloween and run with it your own way after all Halloween is a day to create your own magic.
Immaculate Mary, pray for us!
St. Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us!
St. Michael, leader of the Heavenly army, pray for us!
St. Benedict, protector against witchcraft, pray for us!
All ye Holy Saints, men and women of God, pray for us and protect us from the snares of satan
Resources: safekids.org, Humanesociety.org, thriveworks.com, healthline.com
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