There have been a lot of misconceptions as to the truth behind Halloween and where it originated. I am not going to get into the occult and all the things that people already know *or think they know* about Halloween. I want to discuss the truth behind the origins of All Saints Day.
First, let’s deal with the actual meaning of the word Halloween.
The original word for All Saints day was Hallowsmas. Hallows means “saints” and the mas meaning “mass”. Take that meaning and apply it to the word Halloween. Hallows means “saints” once again and “een” is derived from “evening before”. Therefore, you get Halloween actually being the night before Hallowsmas, or the Eve of the Mass of Saints.
All Saints Day is November 1st, followed by All Souls Day on November 2nd. It is a two day celebration set aside for remembering those faithful Christians who have passed on from this life. The day has been celebrated by dressing as your favorite saint and telling their story. Unfortunately, many people believe that this custom derived from cultist backgrounds, which is untrue. The first day it was held was May 13th, which coincided with a Celtic holiday celebrating the malevolent unrested souls of their culture. The date was later changed by Pope Gregory III in order to cut ties to that specific celebration.
Samhein, the celebration that most Christians are worried about, is definitely celebrated on October 31st, but the only reason it coincides at all with the celebration of All Saints Day is due to the Florentine calendar’s holding that the evening begins the next day.
Trick or treating, as it is now, was developed independent of the celebration of the Saints. The children that dressed up as saints and went around to houses were asking for little cakes or treats in exchange for prayers for the dead. Mind you, this is very rooted in Catholicism, where they believe in *or at least they did till very recently* Purgatory. That said, when this practice originated, they believed you could pray a soul out of Purgatory into Heaven.
Yes, many of the customs that we know of now have borrowed from their Celtic roots. This was done as a tactic in order to gain more Celtics into the Kingdom. Unfortunately, this has been a double edged sword which has in many ways sullied the original purpose.
For those of us who would still like to keep All Saints Day in the fashion it was intended, feel free to rid your lives of all things that were celebrated as part of the Celtic tradition. Instead, embrace the truth of the Day of the Saints and the Day of the Souls so that we can continually remember the sacrifices the saints of our past have made for the Kingdom of Christ.
(((as for the jack o lantern… there is an interesting story behind that, too)))
Resources:
Wikipedia
New World Encyclopedia
TLC
American Catholic
History Channel
Praise the Lord!