Now that All Hallows Eve has passed without a hitch, it’s time to move on to something a bit more pleasant. Whether or not you or your children celebrated Halloween or one of a dozen Oktoberfests and Fall Carnivals, what most people do not realize is that the true “holiday” is today-All Saints’ Day. Ancient pagan cultures celebrated a “day of the dead” on Oct. 31. Many think that’s why Christians chose Nov. 1 to celebrate All Saints’ Day.
As with other holidays, Halloween is a confusing conflagration of traditions and practices from pagan cultures and Christian tradition. The full name for Halloween is actually All Hallows Eve. The true origins of Halloween lie with ancient Celtic tribes.
For the Celts, Nov. 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead. During this festival, the Celts believed the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare the spirits away, people would wear masks and light bonfires.
When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the festival, such as apple centerpieces, bobbing for apples and drinking cider.
The Christian aspect of Halloween comes into play in 835 A.D., when Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration of all martyrs (later dubbed All Saints or All Hallows) from May 13 to Nov. 1. The night before became known as All Hallows Eve, or “Holy Evening.”
Eventually, the name was shortened to Halloween. The purpose of All Saints’ Day, and tomorrow’s All Souls’ Day, is to remember and honor all those who have died, whether they are officially recognized as saints or not. It is a celebration that is supposed to remind Christians that space or time does not bind their faith.
The thing that I get confused by is why does our predominately Christian culture celebrate All Hallows Eve (Halloween) but not All Hallows (All Saints’ Day)? All Hallows Eve is supposed to be a “holy evening” for Christians.
I am not criticizing those who choose to celebrate Halloween. I am saying that we need to give credit to the Christian holiday that it somewhat derives from. It is strange to me that we celebrate Christmas and Easter as a nation, but not All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Even if a person does not belong to a denomination that recognizes the traditional communion of saints, Webster’s Dictionary cites one definition of a “saint” as “one of God’s chosen people,” meaning that technically all believers would fall into this category.
Halloween began in the Catholic Church, as a “holiday” (from the words “Holy Day”) when small children would dress up as saints on Oct. 31, then the entire church would celebrate All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1. Over time, cultures began to fuse the pagan celebration with the Christian celebration of All Hallows. Today, it seems we’ve forgotten all about All Hallows. We have an “eve” of a holiday being celebrated but not the actual holiday.
We need to realize what Halloween should mean to most Christian families. It is an important holiday that has been tossed to the wayside in modern times. In days long past, it was a time for reflection and preparation for a holy day that honors the dead.
Don’t throw out your goblin costumes, and keep the porch light on. Just don’t forget about the actual holiday. Don’t celebrate Halloween without celebrating All Hallows. Either that, or call Halloween something else.
JanaZ Hatcher is a sophomore political science major.