Halloween and the
Church
The word Halloween comes from a contraction of the words All
Hallows Eve. All Hallows Eve or All Souls Eve is an important religious celebration
held on 31st October. Hallow is a Latin word meaning holy. You might
be wondering what holy means? Holy refers to anything or any person who has
been blessed, we might say favoured by God. So it is that on Halloween/All
Hallows Eve we prepare to remember our friends and family who have passed away
and on whom God has bestowed his favour and love.
In Mexico Halloween is a very popular family event. Everyone
goes to the cemetery to visit the graves of their friends and relatives. They
take a picnic and have a kind of party. It’s a way of remembering their family
members and sharing a festive atmosphere with members of the community. The
name given to this celebration is The Day of the Dead. It’s not meant to be
spooky or scary it’s a time to remember friends and family members.
The church values and remembers those who have died. We
often pray for those who have died in our church services. We particularly pray
for and remember the dear departed on All Souls Day; this year being celebrated
Sunday 2nd November.
We read out the names of people who have died. We say a
prayer and we light a candle. These things are done to honour and remember the
people we love who have passed away. This is a time for us to celebrate what
God has done through these people and to affirm our belief in the power of the
resurrection to eternal life.
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