Rev Bill

Happy Halloween!

I probably don’t have to tell you that today is Halloween — a day when we normally think about ghosts and goblins — witches and vampires. 

But — it actually began with saints!

Saints?

You may be thingking — what do saints have to do with Halloween?
Well, it was the idea of honoring saints that began the tradition of Halloween.
Sort of.
A long time ago (many centuries ago, in fact) the church decided that there would be one day to honor all the saints who did not have other Feast Days. November 1 was selected as All Saints Day. It was a day for remembering saints, and evolved into a day for remembering friends and loved ones who had died. Some would go to worhsip — then go to the gaves of friends and loved ones to lift up prayers in their memory.
Well, as usually happends, some people could not leave a good idea good — and had to mess it up! Some decided that if good and Godly things could have their day — then not so good and not so Godly things could, too — and if good things could go on in graveyards — then so could mischevous things. They decided that the night of October 31 — the night before the November 1 All Saints Day celebration — would be the time for witches — ghosts — and other scary things to have their time to prowl — and for pranks in graveyards instead of prayers! So the tradition of Halloween — or All Saints Day (or All Hallowed’s Day) Eve began.

I am not a great fan of Halloween — I really don’t see the point in parading around as evil things.  Things like Star Wars characters, policemen, firemen, and the like is ok — but not devils, witches, and the like.

There are some good posts on Halloween out there this year — Rob has a good post — and Apostle John’s is a classic — especially the part about the Biblical Characters Halloween party!

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