All Hallows Eve

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What are some traditionally Catholic things that we can do on All Hallows Eve? Before I returned to the Catholic Faith, I was always had a desire to celebrate on this day. I have read some articles that All Hallows Eve has a rich tradition in the Catholic faith. What I am looking for is; the proper way to celebrate this day, things to cook, should we dress up ourselves and children, etc. Any information would be appreciated.
 
Um… interesting question!! I am curious about the answers, too!!

To make sure that we are talking about the same thing… All Hallows Eve is Halloween, right? :o

We always dressed up in costums and ate candy!! :p:p

And, now that I think about it… many Protestants have accused Catholics (from what I have heard) of being pagan because of this…

So, to add to your question… is Halloween pagan worship? I never thought that it was…
 
Pious activities are always encouraged. Some parishes have been known to host events where the participants dress up as various saints.

All Saints was originally in the spring (and still is in the Eastern Church) and was possibly moved to its current day to contrast the holy ones celebrated then with the spirits the pagans cowered from. The accusation that it was somehow derived from pagan worship is certainly false.
 
All Hallows Eve is the same day as Halloween yes. I had read somewhere about pancakes and cider since it was a day of fasting. I would just like to know some ancient Catholic customs and why they were done.
 
Well, Hudson, I may be old but I’m not ancient. So I can only relate a few older things such as having the kids dress up as their favorite Saint and telling a story about the Saint. We used to do the dunking for apples, cider and that sort of thing. Plus Mass.

Used to have a party in the parish hall for the kids.
 
All Hallows Eve is the evening before the Solemnity of All Saints celebrated on Novermber 1st. All Souls Day, during which we remember and pray for the dead, occurs on Nov 2 as stated above. I think All Souls Day is a solemnity on the calendar as well.

All Hallow’s Eve is essentially the vigil for these two feasts, during which we remember and pray for the dead and celebrate the lives of the saints, especially the martyrs. I believe it should be celebrated in that light and the first thing that comes to mind is Mass.

Anything to do with saints would be good to do, I suppose. Why not dress up as one of the great martyrs like Polycarp or St. Lawrence? Visiting the graves of a deceased relative and praying for them might be good. I remember Catholics building a bonfire when I was a kid.

Some interesting cultural customs and good informatoin on All Souls Day is at churchyear.net/allsouls.html.

-Tim-
 
hudson said:
All Hallows Eve is the same day as Halloween yes. I had read somewhere about pancakes and cider since it was a day of fasting. I would just like to know some ancient Catholic customs and why they were done.
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Best one I can think of is Vespers; said for the usual reason (since it would be the evening preceding a holy day).

There were local customs, as well. Strictly speaking, however, local customs are not “Catholic” even if only Catholics are participating in them.
 
In many Catholic areas (not the US) it is traditional to visit relatives’ graves that day to clean them and lay flowers. Mass, vespers, adoration are all good ideas. As a PP said, it is basically the vigil for both All Saints (ie everyone in heaven) and All Souls (everyone in purgatory). No idea about traditional foods or other practices. Try the Faith and Family website or the book “The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living” which is essentially a party planning book for various feast days.
 
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