Allhallowtide. How will you be spending these 3 sacred days?

[Anonymous]

My husband and his family are very American in this and generally celebrate only Halloween but I like to stick to the old ways. Amazing but most Americans don't know that Halloween is part of 3 other sacred days.

Halloween: trick or treating, costume parties, masks, kids games. Jack O Lanterns from pumpkins & turnips. Maybe a small bonfire and fireworks. Fasting, prayer, vigil, lighting a church candle and not eating meaning. Make toffee, chocolate and caramel apples. Back home we would pay a visit to the graves at this time. Of course watch some scary movies.

All Saints Day: All Saints' Day is a holy day to honour all the christian saints and martyrs of the church. Its a feast day so after mass I'm going to cook up a leg of lamb. My husband being American of course has to go big at Halloween, just like at Christmas.

All Souls' Day: We commemorates and pray for the souls that have not yet entered heaven. On All Souls Day the souls of the dead may return to visit their family as boundaries between this world and the next are thin especially at Allowtide. I will light a candle in the window that night to guide the spirits of any deceased relatives to my home, its an old Irish tradition that at this time a beloved family relative may visit for a chat.

Wish I could be home because there's a massive Halloween festival in Derry every year that gets better each year.

[Lliam]

I'm American and trick-or-treated from the time I would walk. It was a great thing to look forward to. My parents were also devout Catholics of Irish ancestry, so we always went to church on All Saints Day.

I got away from religion in my late teens.

In 2002, when we moved to the area where we live now, my wife and I joined a nondenominational Unitarian Universalist congregation that would have some kind of Halloween celebration each year to honor past ancestors. There would usually be some Wiccan/pagan aspects like honoring the six directions - west, north, east, south, Earth and sky.

Around the same time, I joined an local environmental organization and we would build an alter to honor the Earth or Native Americans at the annual "Altar Show" at the county fairground. Those shows were huge. People purchased spaces and built very creative altars to all kinds of things - pets, family members, endless wars, all the abducted children, the environment and you name it. Some were somber, many were poignant, and some were fun and even funny. Many were elaborate and interactive. Our organization built an altar each year until about 2011. After that, though, my wife and I still went to the Altar Show every year until it was stopped in 2020 due covid. I think it has started up again but we haven't been back.

I think that Altar Show epitomized the traditional samhain/dia de los muertos meaning and attitudes of Halloween.

From around 2005 to 2020, we also used to go the home of a couple we were friends with. They lived on a street where every house was decorated for Halloween big time and they, themselves, went all out. Hundreds and hundreds of kids would trick-or-treat on that street.
Those friends would have a party with food, drink and Halloween music. Everyone who attended brought Halloween candy to pass out, and of course wore costumes.
It was great fun seeing all the kids in costumes come to the front porch.

We haven't done anything since 2020 when the covid terror campaign destroyed community and human interaction.

I will think about my parents, grandparents and ancestors. Unfortunately, I live too far away to visit their graves.

[Exterminatore]

That depends greatly on a meeting I’m having with a bishop of an independent Catholic Church on Friday to discuss their doctrines and determine if it’s a good fit for me.


Currently for lack of better terms I’d describe myself as a non practicing Catholic. I attend a Protestant church. I have major grievances with Roman Catholic doctrine. I reject pretty much all the determinations of the Council of Trent and the counter reformation, I reject all of the following: Mary being Coredemptrix with Christ, transubstantiation in regards to the Eucharist, the Immaculate Conception, the assumption of Mary, the infallibility of the pope, the entire apocrypha in the Catholic Bible, purgatory, and any Catholic dogmas that do not align with scripture. I was Roman Catholic for much of my life but after studying the Roman Catholic Catechism and seeing many of those doctrines did not align with scripture I left it. I furthermore reject Roman Catholicism on the grounds that Pope Francis is a liar, a heretic, and Biblically unsound. In fact as a spiritual leader I despise him.


However Independent Catholics reject all these things too, but do practice the sacraments. They are basically Catholic Protestants for lack of better terms. They celebrate the mass exactly as the church has for roughly 1700 years. Should I find this church I’m looking into to have solid Biblical doctrine, then very likely I will celebrate them with prayer, by going to mass, and reading scripture along with the American traditions of celebrating Halloween by passing out candy to trick or treaters, watching scary movies, baking pumpkin seeds, carving Jack-o-lanterns, and attending mass on that day.


If I do not find the doctrines of the church I’m looking into to be sound, then I will only celebrate Halloween in the traditional American fashion.

[Asker]

Perhaps you should look into the anglican Church

[Exterminatore]

We don’t have one near me.

[Exterminatore]

That would have been an option when I left Roman Catholicism 25 years ago if there was one nearby.

[purplepoppy]

Halloween and guy fawkes night seem to be merging into one event now. You still get people who see it in a more spiritual light here but for me it's more for kids to have fun.

[Asker]

Halloween is kinda more fun than guy fawkes night.

[imran_]

Alright, I have a question, everyone. Why is Halloween celebrated when it has pagan origins? I came across quotes from certain Christian scholars, such as Philip H. [Pfatticher], and also Jerry Falwell. These scholars argue that Halloween is rooted in pagan traditions and suggest that Christians should prioritize celebrations with a clear theological foundation, focusing on Christian holidays, and so on. My question is, why do you celebrate Halloween?

If you don't view Halloween as a pagan festival, that's a different matter. I'm not trying to attack or insult anyone but rather seeking to understand the reasons behind celebrating Halloween. If possible, please share references from Christian scriptures where it mentions the celebration of Halloween, or if there's evidence that Jesus, peace be upon him, celebrated or approved of it. I'm looking for some sort of evidence. Thank you.

[love_conquers_lust]

Same reason Valentine’s or Independence Day is celebrated. Lighten up.

[imran_]

Got you, it means there is no proof for this, am I right?

Thank you.

[love_conquers_lust]

I’m guessing you’re a Muslim based on your responses. You and I aren’t going to see eye to eye on things as I’m Christian.

There’s no more proof for these traditions than there is for the existence of Allah. You’re going to have to swallow that pill if you going to go around pissing on everyone else’s parade.

[Asker]

Well I'm guessing these schoolars are Protestants Baptists, calvanists etc. If you look at a lot of Christian holidays such as Christmas& Easter they are adapted to fit into the European pagan calendar, Christianity essentially being a break off of the Jewish religion brought to Europe by the early Christians who were all Jews. If we were to follow correctly then all Christian men would be circumcised, we would follow the Jewish calender which differs from the Gregorian calendar used globally (thank you catholic church), do you celebrate Hanukkah ? Jesus celebrated Hanukkah in the bible , christians wouldn't eat pork nor shellfish, we wouldn't have Christmas trees. Anyway early Christians adapted Christianity to their own region and culture.
I do believe Jesus would more than support a holy vigil of prayer and fasting on Halloween, a holy day honouring the saints and martyrs of his church and a day to pray for all those souls on their journey to heaven. For instance where in the scriptures does it mention reformation day?

[love_conquers_lust]

@irishgirl02. Jesus did have a thing for fasting.

You’re seem pretty knowledgeable. Are you a theologist? This is my first reading of quite a bit of what you’re mentioning.

[Asker]

@love_conquers_lust I've a gcse & A level in religion.

[love_conquers_lust]

@irishgirl02 I’m not familiar with those designations. I’m from the States, we call it high school diploma. We have 12 years of general schooling before college. We can specialize a little bit in high school and get college credit.

Regardless, I’m impressed. Good post. I had a girlfriend whose father was from the UK and her mother was Irish. Nice people.

[Asker]

@love_conquers_lust GCSE is like your high school diploma you get graded in different subjects at 16 and can leave school at that age to get a job or pursue further education in stuff like childcare, hairdressing, beautisn, construction etc or continue on at school concentrating on a few subjects for A level until 18 and then college.

[AviatorTom]

When I was young, my family celebrated All Hallows Eve (Halloween), went to Mass on All Saints Day (a holy day of obligation) and said prayers for our family members and friends who have passed away on All Souls Day. I stopped doing that when I was in college, although I respect those (like you) who continue to celebrate it the old fashioned way.

[dreamstar72]

My wife and I spent a week watching scary movie. One year we wanted to scare trick or treaters, so we got the movie “Evil Dead”. We marked down where all the neat screaming parts were. When someone came that we knew we would press the remote and it scared most of then. We quit after we scared one of them so bad he lost all of his candy, because he run so fast that his candy went all over the place. My daughter and sister-in-law are really into Halloween.

[love_conquers_lust]

I hope you don’t hear anyone on All Soul’s Day. We don’t want to hear from the dead, they’ve faced their judgement and wouldn’t want to return. It would corrupt our purpose if they did. But they do live on through us. Still neat traditions.

[Asker]

Through Fod all things are possible

[DarkLegacy]

A pointless American non event that should be removed from the calendar, at least here in the UK. Nobody celebrated it when i was a kid, we all did the better event of Bonfire Night

[Asker]

Bonfire night is Halloween. Its only England that has it on the 5th of November and parts of Northern Ireland.
It's probably made a comeback and become more popular in England now because it's more fun for the kids, dressing up in masks etc.

[Asker]

I would also point out that Halloween is a major event historically in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Isle of man, the shetlands and Orkney Islands. The UK is more than just England.

[DarkLegacy]

They are two different events altogether. For a start it is different denominations of Christianity

[Asker]

Yes since the reformation in England but do you guys not celebrate reformation day? Did Martin Luther not nail his Ninety-five Theses to All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on All Hallows' Eve?

[BCRanger10]

I'll be going to Mass on November 1st for All Saints' Day (Holy Day of Obligation, fellow Catholics!). Other than that though, probably looking after my wife, son, and newborn twin daughters.

[Asker]

Good man 🙏

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

I like Halloween for the scary movies.

[NeverGiveUp69]

Every samhain I go to mass with my folks. Then I spend time with druids and near 11pm we head off to a club to party

[strateguy632]

i only like the costume part. but you are right. even the name hallow related to the following day hallows day.

[Sevenpointfive]

i wish i believed in dia de los muertos. maybe then i would have something to do on Halloween

[Charliefretz329]

Cool! Thanks for sharing this!


I’ll be doing nothing

[robocop666]

I may go out for Halloween. I love it so much.

[Likes2drive]

I really don’t celebrate much holidays to any extent but Christmas

[Christoff92]

Better then ever

[Sparkie460]

Working as usual

[Wise4myage]

Lots of beer!

[MaxUsefull]

I don’t celebrate Halloween

[pethouse]

I had no idea