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Halloween
Topic Started: Friday, 26. October 2007, 13:06 (964 Views)
Deleted User
Deleted User

I've often heard that the "trick or treat" custom was imported from America, but this article suggests that, in fact, it began in England
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Since the night before All Saints Day, "All Hallows Eve" (now known as Hallowe'en or Halloween), was the vigil and required fasting, many recipes and traditions have come down for this evening, such as pancakes, boxty bread and boxty pancakes (the boxty made from potatoes), barmbrack (Irish fruit bread with hidden charms), and colcannon (combination of cabbage and boiled potatoes). This was also known as "Nutcrack Night" in England, where the family gathered around the hearth to enjoy cider and nuts and apples. In England "soul cakes" are another traditional food. People would go begging for a "soul cake" and promise to pray for the donor's departed friends and family in exchange for the treat, an early version of today's "Trick or Treat."

http://www.catholicculture.org/liturgicaly...months/10_2.cfm

I remember Halloween being "duck apple night" when the children tried to pull apples out of a tub of water, using only their mouths. Trick or Treat (something I really do not like) was unheard of then.

There seems little connection between modern celebrations of Halloween and the meaning of the feast. Should we be concerned about this and if so what can be done
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Gerard

Should we be worried - YES.

What can we do - try this...

http://www.nightoflight.org/

See particularly the childrens party page.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Deleted User
Deleted User

The Night of Light is an excellent idea. Apparently introduced to celebrate the year 2000 and continued after that. I notice the website hasn't been updated for a few years (judging by the info in the news section) and that is a pity. Also the link to Cor - Lumen Christi doesn't work but I assume it should link to http://www.coretlumenchristi.org/
I haven't seen any recent publicity and it is certainly something worth publicising.

KatyA
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Rose of York
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TV programmes make images of demons look funny. Occultists use the eve of All Saints Day to try to counteract the power of the prayers offered on the Feasts of All Saints and the Holy Souls. It might help if we could hear more from preachers, telling children about All Saints Day. How about parishes having Catholic fancy dress parties for children, in the week when all the Halloween parties are going on?
Keep the Faith!

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sumermamma

I can not understand why a simple childrens' dress up night has been turned into a night honoring ugliness and horror. This has also changes the innocent concept of "trick or treat" here in America. Most have gone the Halloween party route. It does insure a more safe, controlled environment, though.
I just don't get the adult interest.
sm
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Karin
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Karin
I have to tell you all that over here Halloween is almost a National Holiday with house lights and decorations, TONS of candy to hand out, parties with all the costumes (fancy dress) in the world, you name it, it's (over the top in my estimation). It has absolutely nothing to do with the history or reasons for Halloween...but the candy and costume companies certainly make a mint on this one!!!

We don't partake of the "holiday" - we usually eat the candy before the kids get it, so we don't hand anything out. My grandmother used to hand out $5 bills to the kids and they LOVED to come to her house. I always held out for the $20's!!!!

Anyway, it's nuts here. And once this is over, Thanksgiving is a bit neglected - then Christmas takes over. We even have products in the stores in August....so sad. I assume if I worked for a manufacturer, I would think the earlier the better. All of these days of celebration seem to come down to the merchandising dollar or pound...and how much they can make. Total consumerism. Well, not at our house, it isn't!
Karin

Hvaljen Isus i Marija. Kraljica Mira, moli za nas.
"Praised be Jesus and Mary. Queen of Peace, Pray for Us."

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Gerard

What is going on here is a longstanding spiritual battle.

Prior to Christianity the Druids celebrated a feast - the feast of Samhain (the end of Summer and the beginning of the new yesr) on 1st November. It was beleived that the veil between this world and the underworld was drawn away on this night and journeys could be made in either direction. The ancestors would once again walk the streets and visit thier relatives. Food was left out for these visitors. This is actually the connection between the old feast and the custom of children going visiting looking for treats.

The Church, as is usual, tried to substitute its own custom appropriate feast - All Saints, with varying success and the more Celtic the culture the less the success in suppressing memories of Samhain. In these days of diminishing Christianity (particularly in the UK - to a degree Americans can hardly imagine) the old feast is resurging, and to a large extent being taken over by modern practitioners of "wicca" neopaganism and new age.

I think it is important to know your enemy.

The night of light is an attempt to fight back. The idea is to host childrens parties, in church halls and schools, where the children dress up as the Saints and much lighting of candles and retelling of christian stories.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Deleted User
Deleted User

The Anglicans are joining the fight as well:
http://www.halloweenchoice.org/
and they provide a "No Trick or Treat" poster after you donate to the Children's Society.

KatyA
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Karin
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Karin
Actually, I like the colours of the season - the pumpkins, changing leaves, etc. Since Mick and I don't partake of this "holiday", we simply celebrate Autumn. And that's always more fun anyway!
Karin

Hvaljen Isus i Marija. Kraljica Mira, moli za nas.
"Praised be Jesus and Mary. Queen of Peace, Pray for Us."

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Deleted User
Deleted User

by Catherine Fournier

In the old, pre-Christian calendar, October 31st was the last day of the old year. The Harvest was over, the nights were lengthening, the cold was growing, the year was obviously dying. Beltane fires, feasting and celebration marked the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Not only was the year waning and dying on this night, it was the time when all the dead, and the witches and evil spirits that lived in the dark roamed the surface of the earth. The fires were as much to ward away the spirits as to light the darkening night.

This is what we now call Hallowe'en. The Druids believed that "during the night of November 1st demons, witches and evil spirits roamed the earth to greet the arrival of 'their season' - the early dark and long nights of the winter months. They had their fun with the poor mortals that night, frightening them, hariming them and playing all kinds of mean tricks. The only way, it seemed, for humans to escape the persecution of the demons was to offer them things they supposedly liked, especially dainthy food and sweets. Or, a human could disguise himself as one of them and join in their roaming. In this way, they would take him for one of their own and he would not be bothered. This very custom has come down to us, practically unaltered, as our familiar Hallowe'en celebration." (Francis X. Weiser, The Holyday Book, pages 135, 136.)

Obviously though the name is taken from the Christian feast All Hallows Eve (or the eve of All Hallow's Day, another name for All Saint's Day) the tradition and the celebration have nothing to do with the Feast of All Saints. As it is now observed in our day and society, with gross excesses of candy and costumes that look to the occult or damned for inspiration, it has no place in a Catholic or Christian home.

Many families do what the early Christian fathers did. When confronted with a pagan festival, the early Church found a way to 'Christianize' it, to keep the celebration but change the focus. Since feasts, celebrations, and traditions are the way every culture transmits its values to the next generation, and how a society teaches each other and its children about the faith and beliefs of that society, the fathers of the early Church used these modified pagan celebrations to teach the Christian faith and transmit its values.

Instead of Hallowe'en, celebrate All Saint's Eve with a party instead of or after the trick-or-treating. Basic to the idea of an All Saint's Eve party is the theme of saints. Everyone must come dressed as a saint (this encourages research and resourcefulness), games and activities have a 'saints' theme, and the food is specially named for the saints. Beyond that, the possibilities are almost endless, limited only by your imagination and resources.
The article goes on to give ideas for celebrating All Hallows Eve

These pages also have the history of Halloween and ideas for keeping celebrations Christian
http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=1230

http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=1231
Happy Night of Light everyone.

KatyA
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K.T.B.

I'm happy to report that my children's primary school have this morning been teaching the real meaning of Halloween, i.e. All Hallows' Eve, and talking about the Saints.

When I was growing up, we used to play bob-apple on Halloween with apples tied onto string, which are then tied onto a longer bit of string and fixed between two walls. We then had to try and grab them with our mouths, blindfolded and with our hands behind our backs-great fun! I've carried this tradition on with my own kids, although we now find that our evening's fun is constantly interrupted by trick or treaters knocking on the door. :angry:Trick or Treat definately puts me in touch with my inner grumpy old woman!

Tonight my children have been invited to a party run by a local Baptist church as we have a group of friends who belong. They are very uneasy about Trick or Treat and feel that the costumes children wear are becoming increasingly gory year on year.

I'd prefer it if our Parish would lay something on that the children could go to. I like the idea of an All Saints party as described by Catherine Fournier and might suggest it to our Parish Priest next year. Trouble is, if I make a suggestion like this it'll probably become my job to organise it! :rolleyes: :lol:

Being a good Catholic mum :angel: I'll be explaining the meaning of All Souls day on Friday to the children, and encouraging them to pray for souls in purgatory.
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nelly k

We aviod the Halloween as much as possible, the Night os Light mentioned by Gerry hopfully will take of.

BTW its our Wedding Anniversary tonight so we have better things to celebrate :)
nelly
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Karin
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Karin
No candy. No one brought in any candy today and I'm feeling left out. I start my new eating regime tomorrow on my sister's 72nd birthday. I'm going green....veg, tofu and fresh fruit..lots of water. Gone will be the sugar, starch and salt...more fish and much less red meat. All I wanted was some candy to celebrate the new me! But alas, nothing came in today. Booo hooo! Another Haloween has come and gone.
Karin

Hvaljen Isus i Marija. Kraljica Mira, moli za nas.
"Praised be Jesus and Mary. Queen of Peace, Pray for Us."

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Gerard

Nelly,

Happy Aniversary :clap: :D

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Derekap
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A belated Happy Anniversary Nelly!
Derekap
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