This time of year is increasingly fraught with holiday tension. Amidst the growing trend in Australia to mark and celebrate Halloween, this observance is often matched with the catch cry, “It is an American holiday! It is Un-Australian to celebrate it!” or “It is a pagan holiday! Stay away!” I, for one, have been caught in the tension of hiding behind my Halloween embarrassment and my desire to join in the festivities of what is essentially a fun holiday. Far from being an occasion of worshipping the Occult, for most of us, it involves being a justification for eating more sweets and chocolates, watching a scary movie or two, and having permission to wear a costume in public for a couple of days a year (just ask Domenic in the Mascot office: no one will forget that clown costume for a while!)!
In fact, Halloween has its origins in our Christian traditions, and in fact, has scarce connections to non-Christian celebrations. It is commonly known that the day derived its name from Hallows’ Eve, another name for holy or saintly. It is the twin feast days of All Saints and All Souls that came first before the commercialisation of the day transformed it into the macabre and secular (not that there is anything wrong with either!).
All Saints Day is our beginning point. The exact origins of this celebration are uncertain, although, after the legalization of Christianity in 313, a common commemoration of the saints, especially the martyrs, appeared in various areas throughout the Church. The designation of November 1 as the Feast of All Saints occurred over time. Pope Gregory III (731-741) dedicated an oratory in the original St. Peter’s Basilica in honour of all the saints on November 1 (at least according to some accounts), and this date then became the official date for the celebration of the Feast of All Saints in Rome. St. Bede (d. 735) recorded the celebration of All Saints Day on November 1 in England, and such a celebration also existed in Salzburg, Austria. Ado of Vienne (d. 875) recounted how Pope Gregory IV asked King Louis the Pious (778-840) to proclaim November 1 as All Saints Day throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Sacramentaries of the 9th and 10th centuries also placed the Feast of All Saints on the liturgical calendar on November 1. According to an early Church historian, John Beleth (d. 1165), Pope Gregory IV (827-844) officially declared November 1 the Feast of All Saints, transferring it from May 13. However, Sicard of Cremona (d. 1215) recorded that Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) finally suppressed May 13 and mandated November 1 as the date to celebrate the Feast of All Saints. In all, we find the Church establishing a liturgical feast day in honour of the saints independent of any pagan influence.
Along with the Feast of All Saints developed the Feast of All Souls. The Church has consistently encouraged the offering of prayers and Mass for the souls of the faithful departed in Purgatory. Within Catholic tradition, it was held that, at the time of their death, these souls are not perfectly cleansed of venial sin or have not atoned for past transgressions, and thereby are deprived of the Beatific Vision. The faithful on earth can assist these souls in Purgatory in attaining the Beatific Vision through their prayers, good works, and the offering of Mass. The teaching on Purgatory has evolved over time. On 4 August 1999, Pope John Paul II, speaking at a general audience, reminds us of the Church’s teaching on purgatory, said: "The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. Those who, after death, exist in a state of purification, are already in the love of Christ who removes from them the remnants of imperfection as "a condition of existence.” Similarly, in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI, speaking of Saint Catherine of Genoa (1447–1510) in relation to purgatory, said that "In her day it was depicted mainly using images linked to space: a certain space was conceived of in which purgatory was supposed to be located. Catherine, however, did not see purgatory as a scene in the bowels of the earth: for her it is not an exterior but rather an interior fire. This is purgatory: an inner fire." Increasingly, the day is an opportunity to remember our loved ones who have gone before us in death. For me, watching the movie “Coco” is a beautiful example of the unique honouring that can happen on this day.
There are two cultural traditions that I want to draw your attention to is at the congruence of Christian and societal cultures. In the Philippines, in marking the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, people gather in cemeteries, in ways that is completely unfamiliar to us in Australia. The tradition starts with cleaning the graves and grave markers by pulling weeds and repainting them days before All Saints' Day, a public holiday. On All Saints' Day, a vigil is held, and prayers are said. Families set up tents and stay all day and night at the graves of their loved ones, picnicking with favourite Filipino foods such as chicken and pork adobo, rice, junk food, and soft drinks as if the dead are still among them. For those who cannot make it to the cemetery, they light candles just outside the doors of their homes and make food and alcoholic drinks offerings to their dearly departed in the altar.
In Mexico, All Saint’s Day is celebrated with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), known as “Día de los Inocentes,” honouring deceased children and infants. It is not an occasion for mourning but rather a popular celebration with colourful decoration and a lot of cheerfulness. On these holidays in Mexico, marigolds are everywhere, as people believe this flower attracts the spirits of the dead. People wear the clothes of their departed relatives. They paint skulls on their faces and wear skeleton masks and costumes. Altars are built in homes to honour loved ones. Some even eat and drink the favourite foods and beverages of the departed.
This time is an opportunity to celebrate the legacies and memories of those people who have led lives of faith, hope and love. May it be a time to remember with deep affection and gratitude, and a time of action to keep building our future on goodness, discipleship, and joy.