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My dear Theo-philus, lovers of God, I have been writing for this newspaper for nine years and I have never touched on the topic of our late October, early November celebration; that of All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows Day or Hallowmas. This day, traditionally celebrated on November first is a remembrance of those members of our church and family who have passed on from this life to life eternal. Many churches commemorate this with the ringing of a bell or lighting a candle while reading the names of the deceased aloud.
Such remembrances were held in the 4th and 5th century at various time of the year, often near Easter or Pentecost. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV declared November 1st as the official day of remembrance throughout the church.
Which brings me to the preparation for November 1st; October 31st, All Hallows Eve or in the vernacular, Hallowe'en!
Although now a largely secular event, the eve of All Saints Day was and is a Christian preparation day! The fact that the 'eve' has overshadowed the main event, is not lost on most Christian churches.
In the 1500's, families would gather at their cemetery. Parents would take the children and show them the tombstones and teach them the history of their ancestors. The parents would drink wine as a toast to their dearly departed, often to excess, and the children would don scary masks to frighten any lingering spirits away from the graves in order to permit the most recently deceased unimpeded travel to heaven. Before leaving the cemetery the parents would place 'soul cakes' sweet breads on the tombstones as nourishment for the traveling souls. This is the foundation of our 'Trick-or-Treat' romp by the children.
There was never any demonic or conjuring associated with this day of preparation, that came much later. Often, well-meaning but completely misguided Christian leaders perverted the beauty and history of teaching the next generation into something very non-christian.
The same thing has happened to our Christian celebration of Ash Wednesday, the eve of which in now called 'Fat Tuesday' since we are challenged to sacrifice something for the duration of Lent, we stuff ourselves on the day before. More on that next spring.
The Biblical origins of all our sacred holidays may be found in the books of the Old Testament, specifically: Exodus chapters 12-15 and 23, Leviticus 23, Deuteronomy 16, the entire book of Esther and 1st & 2nd Maccabees. The last of which will be found in the Apocrypha. Preparations for these celebrations are outlined in detail within the Scriptures cited and we are told by God, "These are to be kept as Holy ordinances for all time." Isn't it amazing how we would rather celebrate secular, man-made holidays rather than keep God's word?
Meanwhile, read your Bible, attend a church service. Learn about the history and traditions of the early church and how they influenced our respective cultures; long before influence meant trashing somebody on social media. Churches are open, welcoming and necessary in our difficult and often confusing world.