When you think of Halloween, what comes to mind? For a
lot of people, Halloween has become synonymous with candy, costumes,
scary stuff, witches, ghosts and pumpkins. But do you know the
Christian connection to the holiday?
The true origins of Halloween lie with the ancient
Celtic tribes who lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. For
the Celts, November 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, Celts believed the
souls of the dead—including ghosts, goblins and witches—returned to
mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people
would wear masks and light bonfires.
When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their
own touches to the Samhain festival, such as making centerpieces out of
apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. The
Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider—traditions which may
sound familiar to you. But where does the Christian aspect of the
holiday come into play? In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration
for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The
night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.”
Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November
2, the Church celebrates All Souls Day.
The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who
have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Catholic
Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the “communion of
saints,” which reminds us that the Church is not bound by space or
time.
Through the communion of saints “a perennial link of
charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their
heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and
those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an
abundant exchange of all good things”
 Carving the Turnip?
Many of the customs we now associate with Halloween are
also derived from ancient celebrations.
For example, the current custom of going door-to-door to
collect treats actually started in Ireland hundreds of years ago.
Groups of farmers would go door-to-door collecting food and materials
for a village feast and bonfire. Those who gave were promised
prosperity; those who did not received threats of bad luck. When an
influx of Irish Catholic immigrants came to the United States in the
1800s, the custom of trick-or-treating came with them.
Does your family carve a pumpkin to place on your porch
for Halloween? If so, then you can once again thank the Irish for the
tradition. Actually, the custom began with a turnip. People would
hollow out the turnips and place lighted candles inside to scare off
the evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they discovered the
pumpkin as a larger substitute for the turnip. And so, we now carve
pumpkins instead of turnips for Halloween.
The Tale of
the Jack-o'-lantern
So now you know why we carve pumpkins instead of
turnips, but why do we call them jack-o’-lanterns? The name actually
comes from the legend of an Irishman named Jack who was forced to roam
the earth with only a burning coal inside a pumpkin to light his way
because he had never performed a single selfless act throughout his
life.
Even though Halloween may seem like a very secular
holiday, and in many ways it has become so, there are distinctly
Christian aspects to the holiday that you and your family can
celebrate. Happy Halloween!
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Carving the Turnip?