Photo by Mary DeTurris Poust, Chiesa Santa Mariadell'Orazione e Morte, Via Giulia, Rome
By Mary DeTurris Poust
I've always loved Halloween, and not just for the scary costumes and abundant candy -- although that helps. I love this holiday and holy day for its connection to deeper and darker things, for its reminder that we are not so far separated from the "other side" as we'd sometimes like to believe.
I think my Halloween fascination has a little to do with both nature and nurture. My Celtic roots give me that built-in interest in and connection to my ancestors' traditions. After all, this night was Samhain for the ancient Celts -- the end of the light and the beginning of the dark. It was a Celtic version of New Year's Eve, a time of a thin veil between the living and the dead. It was only later that Christian missionaries helped converts adapt their pagan celebrations to something more fitting their new faith -- All Saints' Day.
Here's a little more background from an article by Anne Neuberger on OSV's parish resource page:
Some people find this season a little too morbid, but there's something so powerful about focusing on the connection between life and death, here and there, dark and light. Plus, who doesn't love putting on a cape and witch hat and hitting the streets with the kids? That's where I'll be in a few hours, accompanied by Little Red Riding Hood, Athena, and a ninja. I don't think we'll scare off any errant souls, but I'm hoping we can scare up a few Kit Kats.
I've always loved Halloween, and not just for the scary costumes and abundant candy -- although that helps. I love this holiday and holy day for its connection to deeper and darker things, for its reminder that we are not so far separated from the "other side" as we'd sometimes like to believe.
I think my Halloween fascination has a little to do with both nature and nurture. My Celtic roots give me that built-in interest in and connection to my ancestors' traditions. After all, this night was Samhain for the ancient Celts -- the end of the light and the beginning of the dark. It was a Celtic version of New Year's Eve, a time of a thin veil between the living and the dead. It was only later that Christian missionaries helped converts adapt their pagan celebrations to something more fitting their new faith -- All Saints' Day.
Here's a little more background from an article by Anne Neuberger on OSV's parish resource page:
Skeletons and other macabre decorations were in abundance this time of year when I lived in Texas, where the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated in both secular and spiritual ways. The decorations and traditions are at once an acknowledgment of our mortality and a profession of our faith. We do not cower before death but laugh in its face, celebrating our belief in eternal life in our homes, in our churches, and in cemeteries. How can you not love that? I'm excited that my upstate New York parish will be incorporating Dia de los Muertos into our All Souls' Day Masses this year, with opportunities to place mementos of deceased loved ones on the altar not only on November 2 but throughout the month.
From then on, customs of the two intertwined in ways that were both holy and fun. For example, in medieval days, there was a custom called ‘souling’, in which people went from door to door, singing and asking for a ‘soul cake’, a sweet yeast bun with spices. In exchange, they promised to pray for the deceased family members of the household. Sound a bit like ‘trick-or-treat’? Other aspects of the Celtic festivities evolved until, in the United States and Canada, we have children wearing costumes to ‘frighten’ others and begging for treats. Skeletons and other symbols of death hang in windows of homes and stores near October 31st.
Some people find this season a little too morbid, but there's something so powerful about focusing on the connection between life and death, here and there, dark and light. Plus, who doesn't love putting on a cape and witch hat and hitting the streets with the kids? That's where I'll be in a few hours, accompanied by Little Red Riding Hood, Athena, and a ninja. I don't think we'll scare off any errant souls, but I'm hoping we can scare up a few Kit Kats.
