Halloween and All Hallows Eve

October 31, 2:04 PMFaith & Culture ExaminerDr. Bob Beltz

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All the saints heading for Highline Community Church
painting by Angelico

“Boo!”  “Trick or treat!”  Growing up, Halloween was one of the favorite days of the year for every kid I knew.  Free candy!  In our house, it was the only day of the year that we got any candy at all.  I can remember roaming the streets of my neighborhood in St. Louis with hundreds of costumed kids filling the streets without fear.  That just goes to show you how old I am getting.

Figuring out the true origins of the holiday, and how we got to where we are today, is not easy.  A quick trip to Wikipedia will give you a number of possible explanations.  I have come to believe the best explanation dates back to the Celtic church and the feast of Samhain combined with the move of All Saint’s Day to November 1 by the Roman Church.  

Samhain was a pagan festival that marked the end of summer and the coming of days that had more hours of dark than light.  It was believed that on this night, the world of the dead came very close to the world of the living.  It was also believed that at times, the veil between the two worlds was so thin that those that had departed could cross back over.  Some believed that both the good guys and the bad guys made the trip, and in order to keep the bad guys at bay, the living would put on scary costumes and become living gargoyles, fending off the malicious dead. 

In a previous article I made reference to the Pantheon in Rome.  The original All Saint’s Day occurred with the dedication of the Pantheon as a church in the fourth century.  The word “Pantheon” meant “all” “gods”.  To redefine its use, it now was dedicated to “all saints”, thus the name “All Saint’s Day.”  Originally in March or April, the Western Church moved the day to November 1, possibly to compete with pagan festivals like Samhain. 

At our church this year, several families put together an alternative celebration with deep historical roots.  October 31, 1517 was the date a young monk in Wittenberg, Germany tacked a list of objections to the non-biblical practices that were emerging in the Church, including the sale of forgiveness through indulgences, to the church door of his little town.  His name was Martin Luther, and many view this event and its aftermath as the tipping point that led to the Protestant Reformation.  

Our families created a fun carnival environment at the church where children moved through a series of stations where they learned about Luther and the Reformation by playing games that related to Luther’s story.  My favorite part of the evening was helping my 2 ½ year old granddaughter pound a piece of paper with the verse “The righteous will live by faith.” to a door where other children had nailed their own pieces of good theology. (The verse, Romans 1:17, was a central truth that led Luther to his conviction that salvation was by faith alone, not by works, or something that could be purchased.)  At each station, the children were given a coupon (jokingly called “indulgences”) after completing their task which was redeemable for a piece of candy.  It was a very creative and fun alternative for those who find the celebration of Halloween a little too pagan for their taste.

Whether the veil between the worlds is any thinner on October 31 than on any other night, I don’t know.  I do know there seem to be places – geographical, that is – that are known as “thin places.”  Like All Hallows Eve, it was believed that the veil was thin in these places making contact with God more accessible.  Many monasteries were built at such sites in ancient times.  What I do know is that the veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual is much “thinner” that most people recognize.  You don’t have to wait till All Hallows Eve, or go to Stonehenge, to make contact.  Taking time for prayer and meditation, or devotionally reading the scriptures, can move you into the unseen realm any day of the year.  Experiencing God is not as complicated as it is sometimes made out to be.  As Paul reminded the Athenian philosophers, “he is not far from each of us.  For in him we live and move and have our being.”   This is always true, whether we sense it or not. 

So tonight is All Hallow’s Eve.  I think I will spend some time reading my bible and praying, just in case the veil is a little thinner.  And tomorrow, All Saint’s Day, I’m heading for church to hang out with all the saints!  Works for me.