Florida Catholic | Commentary

COMMENTARY

Halloween, All Saints’ and All Souls’ celebrations are meant to point us to God

KRISTIE NGUYEN | FLORIDA CATHOLIC VENICE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 10.26.07

ADDITIONAL READING
Msgr. Michael Reed, Chancellor for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee has a three-part series on Halloween from its inception to present day.
PART ONE BEGINS HERE

“Come on out to the harvest festival,” my Protestant friend’s pastor encouraged me one late October day. “We won’t be out there celebrating the devil’s holiday.”

“Devil’s holiday?” I asked myself. “Did I miss that lesson in faith formation class?”

Growing up as a Catholic, I had never heard of Halloween referred to as satanic. I had dressed up in costumes and joined my older brother and friends for trick-or-treating year after year.

Curious, I asked my parish priest about the meaning of Halloween. He explained that Halloween is another name for All Hallows Eve, the “holy evening” or vigil before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

A report from AmericanCatholic.org says early Christians often gathered on the death anniversaries of those who died for the faith. They broke bread together and recalled stories about the saints who gave the ultimate sacrifice for Christ. Eventually, a collective celebration for all martyrs was celebrated.

In about 1048, a memorial for the souls of all the faithful departed was added to the liturgical calendar. According to the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, the feast day is held because of the doctrine that souls are not completely cleansed when the body dies. The church teaches that the prayers of those on earth can help those souls get to heaven. Prayers for the dead and the intercession of the saints also demonstrate that those in the body of Christ are not divided by death.

So where did the “devil’s holiday” label come from? According to an article in the Catholic magazine Envoy, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 were originally days of pagan celebrations of the beginning of winter and the end of harvest season. As Christianity grew, the church “sought to demonstrate in a dramatic way the victory of Christ over the false gods of paganism,” and the days were given holy meaning. The church also sought to change the meaning of Dec. 25 — which was once the feast of a sun god — by making it the celebration of Christ’s birth.

The church has also seen Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as reminders of human mortality, and the fact that all will stand before God to be judged after death. November is also a special time in the church to remember and pray for the souls in purgatory.

All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and Halloween, the eve of both feasts, are meant to point us to God. Halloween is not a “devil’s holiday.” It helps us remember to strive for holiness like the saints and to pray for the faithful who have died before us.

Information from Catholic Answers, New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, Envoy magazine and AmericanCatholic.org were used in this report.

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Halloween, All Saints’ and All Souls’ celebrations are meant to point us to God

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