Halloween, All Saints' Day, or All Souls' Day? - You be the judge. - October 25, 2013

As we approach Halloween, followed by All Saints' Day and All Soul's Day, we think about these holidays.  Why do we celebrate Halloween, or not?  And how all three holidays came about.  In my book On Rainbow's Edge, The Journey of an Absent, But Not So Absent-minded Mom, I shed some light on the subject of All Souls' Day.  For those of you who don't have a copy yet or haven't had a chance to read my book, All Souls' Day has a very long history.  Celebrated every Nov. 2nd, it came about because when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico they found the natives celebrating a ritual that was at least 3,000 years old.  This ritual seemed to mock death.  The Spaniards unsuccessfully tried to eradicate the ritual, only to eventually end up incorporating it into their own Catholic theology.

 As for All Saints' Day, it first appeared in the Antioch Church around the early fourth century as a day to honor the Church's martyrs.  Originally occurring on the first Sunday after Pentecost, it is a day for prayer and observance to honor all the saints who made the ultimate sacrifice while spreading the word of God.  How did it come to be known as the "Day of the Dead" in Mexico?

One of the more peculiar traditions of All Saints' Day is All Souls' Day or, the Day of the Dead, in which Mexicans combined both holidays into two celebratory days.  The first day is dedicated to "angelitos" or, children; and the second, to the adults who have died.  Traditions include joyful celebrations at home and at cemeteries where food, flowers, music and dance are offered up for deceased loved ones.

And thirdly, Halloween - the Church's vigil on the eve of All Saints' Day, originally All Hallows Eve, retains many of the old European customs and traditions.  Just as All Souls' Day, Halloween started as a take from All Saints' Day, but over the years both have progressed to something entirely different from what the Church originally had in mind.

Last night a group of friends got together and the topic of discussion was All Soul's Day.  Some questions that were raised were, is there really life after death? what's it like up there (or down there??!!)?  What form will we take, etc. etc. You get the picture. 

We went on all night, with everyone giving their input, and after all the discussion it was interesting to see how we all walked away with a warm feeling of life after death.  I related how my late aunt as she lay on her death bed, saw her deceased husband beckoning her to him.  A friend suggested that loved ones are sent to make our journey easier.

We closed our discussion, as we always do with prayer and for God's guidance to lead us.  And then celebrated with white wine, a wonderful assortment of cheeses and spreads, and the most creamy and moist cannoli cake ever from Fairway Supermarket.

Beautiful depiction of all Saints!