Today is Halloween.
As with many things in our culture today, many people – Catholic and
non-Catholic alike – tend to view Halloween as a secular holiday. This is unsurprising given the amount of
commercialization surrounding the day.
Very few realize that Halloween has its roots in Christian tradition.
The word “Halloween” itself comes from All Hallow’s Eve,
meaning the Eve of All Saints, the day before All Saints Day. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a
“Christianization” of the pagan celebration of Samhain, though there are some
similarities. The Celts believed that
spirits of the dead rose on this night because it was when the veil between the
world of the living and the world of the dead was thinnest. In medieval England, some of the traditions
of Samhain might have been incorporated into celebrations of All Hallow’s Eve,
such as leaving out offerings to the spirits of the dead. This is similar to Dia de los Muertos
traditions in Latin America, which of course is a celebration related to All
Souls Day, celebrated on November 2nd.
Further, European medieval tradition would have people
dressing up in scary costumes to ward off evil spirits. Few people realize this today. Now secular culture emphasizes trying to
scare each other rather than some supernatural beings.
Some Catholics have tried to “reclaim” Halloween, dressing
up as Saints or other religious figures rather than scary monsters. In fact, I recall times when Halloween fell
on a Sunday when children in our parish religious education classes were
encouraged to do this for the holiday. Other
Christians might not allow their children to participate in Halloween
activities because they view it as satanic.
I favor a more “middle of the road” approach. I have never been a huge fan of dressing up
simply to scare other people. Nor am I
of the opinion that people should boycott Halloween. Let your kids have fun. Let them participate in the parades,
trick-or-treating (or trunk-or-treating), and pumpkin carving. Let them be kids. Then you can choose if you would like to
explain what Halloween was originally and how that relates to the ways in which
we celebrate it. And remember, tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation!
No comments:
Post a Comment