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The following description might help you explain the Christian roots of Halloween to friends as well as the little ones. It can also be an evangelization tool. You may have heard how some folks use candy canes to evangelize by telling the story of the meaning of the candy cane to children. This year we are going to attach orange slips of paper with the following story to our butterfingers that we give to our trick-or-treaters. If you feel so inclined, spread the word about this so that more folks will celebrate All Hallows Eve as the Christian holy-day that it is! Also, for ideas on having a Catholic all hallows eve party, check out this great link:
catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=1230
The Holy History of Halloween
Most folks think that Halloween is a celebration of evil. After all, it’s full of goblins, witches and ghosts, right? Actually, Halloween was brought to America by the Irish, for whom it was a Christian feast. The word Halloween comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” which means the “eve of All Hallows” or, as it would be called today, “All Saints Day Eve.” Before the Irish were Christians, October 31st was a pagan feast day. After St. Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity, the celebration was “Christianized,” as Christians also did with pagan holidays to create Christmas and Easter. Halloween or “All Hallows’ Eve” is the first day of a three-day feast. The second day, November 1st, is All Saints Day, when Christians celebrate the saints who have gone before them in the Faith. The last day, November 2nd, is All Souls Day, when Christians pray for the faithful departed. Christian meanings can be seen in many Halloween traditions also. For example, bobbing for apples can represent baptism. Christians believe that Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the apple in the Garden of Eden, but that sin is washed away through baptism. Even a Jack-o-lantern has a Christian meaning—the light of God shines out of the pumpkin, which reminds Christians that God’s love shines into our hearts. So now that you know the “holy history of Halloween,” maybe it’s not so scary after all!
catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=1230
The Holy History of Halloween
Most folks think that Halloween is a celebration of evil. After all, it’s full of goblins, witches and ghosts, right? Actually, Halloween was brought to America by the Irish, for whom it was a Christian feast. The word Halloween comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” which means the “eve of All Hallows” or, as it would be called today, “All Saints Day Eve.” Before the Irish were Christians, October 31st was a pagan feast day. After St. Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity, the celebration was “Christianized,” as Christians also did with pagan holidays to create Christmas and Easter. Halloween or “All Hallows’ Eve” is the first day of a three-day feast. The second day, November 1st, is All Saints Day, when Christians celebrate the saints who have gone before them in the Faith. The last day, November 2nd, is All Souls Day, when Christians pray for the faithful departed. Christian meanings can be seen in many Halloween traditions also. For example, bobbing for apples can represent baptism. Christians believe that Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the apple in the Garden of Eden, but that sin is washed away through baptism. Even a Jack-o-lantern has a Christian meaning—the light of God shines out of the pumpkin, which reminds Christians that God’s love shines into our hearts. So now that you know the “holy history of Halloween,” maybe it’s not so scary after all!