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…but
you’d never know it when walking down the street in October, seeing
houses gaudily strewn with fake spiderwebs, skeletons, and repulsive
cadavers. Some Christians have considered withdrawing totally from this
“holiday,” since it seems like the domain of the devil.
But
the proper
celebration of Halloween is very much a part of Catholic tradition.
Halloween
is another word for “All Hallows’ Eve”—the eve of All Saints’ Day. In
the old Church calendar, the Vigil of All Saints was a liturgical
event. It had its own Mass, where the priest would vest in penitential
purple, the usual color for vigils. He would don white in the evening
for the First Vespers of All Saints, which marked the beginning of the
Church’s celebration of this great holy day.
Together,
the Vigil (October 31), the Feast of All Saints (November 1), and the
Commemoration of All Souls (November 2) formed a comprehensive picture
of the Catholic view of the afterlife.
Then,
there are the Vespers of the Dead—sometimes called “Black Vespers,”
since the priest would vest in black, the color of death and mourning.
These Vespers were not officially said on Halloween, but rather after
Second Vespers on All Saints’ Day, looking toward All Souls’ Day. In
the Catholic region of Brittany, a devotion developed of saying these
Vespers on Halloween itself. It seems these Breton folk were quite
solemn on Halloween and kept the importance of praying for the dead at
the forefront of their Vigil doings.
In
the British Isles, festive All Hallows’ Eve traditions arose that will
sound familiar to you. Children would go door-to-door begging for a
“soul cake” and promising in return to pray for the deceased of the
giver’s family. The Halloween tradition of dressing up is also
potentially connected with this custom (pictured below: an excellent
Halloween/All Saints costume—St. Michael!).
Because
of her Protestant leanings, Queen Elizabeth forbade the traditions
associated with All Souls’ Day. But these customs escaped her
anti-Catholic, anti-fun edicts and have made their way down the
centuries to us today.
So
let’s celebrate Halloween correctly, shall we? You and your family can
learn how in The Year and Our Children:
Catholic Family Celebrations for Every Season. You’ll
learn the marvelous ways in which the Church has celebrated the feasts
that adorn her liturgical year—and how to bring these traditions into
your home. A wonderful way to live out our Catholic culture. Pick
up a copy today!
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