The true meaning of Halloween

Jeff Medcalf of Caerdroia has a very nice post on the true meaning of Halloween. Check it out.

In Catholicism Halloween is All Hallows’ Eve, the first day of a three day remembrance of those who have died. The second day is The Feast of All Saints or All Hallows’ Day. On this day we remember and honor all of the hallowed dead, the saints, known and unknown. The third day is All Souls’ Day, celebrated on November 2. In Mexico it is called Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, and is celebrated with the skull-shaped sugar candy you may have seen. On All Souls’ Day we remember our own beloved dead, particularly those who have died in the last year. There are many practices for celebrating this day. Some parishes keep Books of Life, in which they record parishioners who have died during the year or anyone the parishioners wish to remember. Another old custom is to pray for the repose of the souls of your deceased loved ones in a number of different churches.

Praying for the souls of the dead is a very ancient Christian custom with attestations as early as the first or second century A. D. It’s the source of the doctrine of Purgatory.

Our society is sadly lacking in rituals of commemoration of the dead and that, in my opinion, is a real loss. Such commemorations are extremely ancient, probably as old as the species itself, and the foundation of many religions.

One particularly good way to remember and honor your deceased family and friends is to do something that a deceased family member or friend would have liked to do if he or she were still here. And that is the very root material of Christianity. We remember Jesus of Nazareth by doing something He would have liked to do.

Of course, others have a different idea of the true meaning of Halloween.