Teach Your Kids about All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day

Children look forward to Halloween for a number of reasons. They can’t wait to gather all that candy, and they know that soon after Halloween is Thanksgiving and then Christmas. It’s no wonder children like the last three months of the year – there’s food, food and more food as well as getting out of school. You may want to teach your kids about All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day so they know the basis for the holiday.

Depending upon your frame of reference, All Hallows' Eve is either a Christian or a pagan holiday. Wiccans, or modern day witches, claim the day is associated with pagan celebrations. Catholics and Episcopalians, however, say October 31 is a time to celebrate the saints of old so it is also the eve of the Feast of All Saints. This holy time has been commemorated for centuries.

According to some people, All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day is an acknowledgment of the pain and suffering associated with death. It is also thought that modern Halloween is a way to try to deny the reality of death and anything evil in the world by making fun of it. Rather than concentrating on Christian ideals in a solemn way, they would rather make the evening all about something less serious.

Harvest Party vs. Halloween Trick or Treating

Many parents, for varied reasons, are getting out of the traditional Halloween spirit of trick or treating. To replace the door to door trick or treating or Halloween parties, parents are instead choosing Harvest or Fall parties. These are basically a watered down version of the traditional Halloween.

Many of today’s parents who are Christians themselves placed Christmas as their favorite holiday as a child. Many of those same parents chose Halloween as one of their favorite holidays as a child too. Back then, they had no idea that Halloween could be a huge offense to Christians. Just as the Christian holiday of Christmas can be an offense to the non-believer. 

In the 1970’s and 1980’s there were reports of razor blades and needles being put into apples being handed out to trick or treating children. Around the same time there were reports that candy and taffy were being laced with poison.

Trick or Treat!

Many of us have uttered those words or ones like them since we were old enough to wear a costume. Some say cute little rhymes at each house they visit. But, what is the origin of our current candy grabbing tradition on Halloween?

Trick or treating goes back to the celebration of Samhain by the Celts on the British Isles. This pagan festival was one that celebrated nature and its gifts. The practitioners also believed that on that night the boundaries between the living and the dead were compromised and spirits could once again walk the earth.

Image via Wikipedia

In an effort to appease the spirits, people would leave offerings of food and drink on their doorsteps.  These rituals were thought to protect their harvests for another year. This was also the time for a practice called “souling.”

Souling involved food in exchange for prayers. During the celebration, poor people would take to begging for food from neighbors. This food was granted in exchange for prayers by the receivers for the souls of dead family members.

As the tradition was passed down, the begging became food left for these poor individuals who would continue to pray for the dead. Eventually, children were sent from house to house to receive food or bits of money for the family.In some countries, the wearing of masks and receiving of gifts is still called “souling.” Small food items or money are still received by children.

Trick or treating is a thoroughly modern and American tradition.When it first started, trick or treating was just that. If a homeowner didn’t provide treats, the costumed person would perform some trick. This could be playing a prank on them or egging the house. In some countries, this is a part of the mischief of the spirits. Any spirit that didn’t receive food was also likely to do something to the person of the house.

Now, kids go from house to house, saying this phrase and receiving a ton of sweet treats. People travel from neighborhood to neighborhood for sweet fare. Tricks are more a part of the fun of the night than a slight against any one person. If a neighbor is not participating, they turn out their porch light so children will know not to approach.

Of course there are those mischief makers that egg houses and cars, but most neighborhoods celebrate Halloween without incident. Even the adults get involved in the celebration with fog machines and costume parties.

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The Great Pumpkin: Fact or Fiction?

Image by debaird via FlickrWe have heard of the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus, but what about the Great Pumpkin? The only one rumored to have seen him has no corroborating witness to validate the claim. Does he really exist?

This issue needs to be resolved once and for all. It started with Charles Schultz and a little boy named Linus, but it has taken on a life of its own. Now, all kids want to know the origins of the Great Pumpkin.

According to Linus, the Great Pumpkin visits all of the pumpkin patches around the world. He appears to the one who has the best pumpkin patch in his opinion. The kids waiting for him will receive candy and treats for their efforts.

First of all, kids don’t grow pumpkins. They may have started off by planting the seeds, but most of the day to day work is done by the adults. So, why do the kids get all the fun?

The Great Pumpkin was thought up by Peanuts creator Charles Schultz. One of his most memorable characters, Linus Van Pelt, tries to convince all of his friends that they should wait in a creepy old pumpkin patch instead of going door to door for their treats.

Of course, they ignore him except for Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally. She is so love-struck that she can’t see the pumpkin poo for the starts in her eyes. But, even she has her limits. Year after year, she is left with no candy and itchy arms from spending the night in the pumpkin patch. I wonder if her parents knew where she was.

Many parents have endeavored to solve their kid’s curiosity with a little Great Pumpkin action of their own. Instead of waking up to the horror that their kids have snuck off to sit in a pumpkin patch all night, they have used the Great Pumpkin idea to start their own holiday traditions.

Kids who donate part of their candy haul for a good cause will get a visit from the Great Pumpkin. He will take the donated candy and leave a toy or some cash in its place. Hey, no one can eat all that candy and they get good stuff out of the deal.

There are other ways for the Great Pumpkin to manifest himself during the fall months. Maybe the Great Pumpkin actually takes over for the Tooth Fairy so she can go on vacation for a few months. Who knows? I guess we’ll all find out this fall if Linus was right.

Halloween and Religion

So what is the big deal between Halloween and religion? Will one night of candy fun corrupt the soul?

This is unlikely, but let us take a look at this ongoing topic of debate.

For many, many years, Halloween has been synonymous with witchcraft and evil. Satan’s one night of the year to claim souls for Hell has been the belief of the church and pious individuals. Those who practice dark arts would have us buy into that belief to keep the Christian world dazed and confused.

Let’s set the record straight. Knowledge is power, especially in this instance. Halloween began as a pagan festival of nature where people tried to appease the dead to prevent their intrusion into the world of the living.

But, we all know about superstitions. There was no distinction between the spirits so folks assumed precautions in case the spirits were bad. Unfortunately, it is the stories about bad spirits that have survived and given the celebration of Halloween a bad name.

In an effort to scare people, tales of the undead have been immortalized in books like Frankenstein and Dracula. Movies brought us Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and the Scream guy. People love to be scared, but so much of the fiction has been confused with fact that Christians have been led to believe that the practice of Halloween is evil for their children.

Basically, children know what we tell them. The truth is always best. There are people who practice earth religions like Wicca and those who profess to be Satanists. They derive their greatest influence and media coverage on this night. Even those groups have been made gorier than they actually are through film and books.

Our children will learn that the practice of dressing up and receiving candy is not evil from the knowledge that we obtain. Spirits are not roaming the streets looking to take over their bodies or mess with their minds. In fact, for little ones, it is essential that we not expose them to the scarier side because they could be traumatized by it and fear the fun side of Halloween.

Christians have nothing to fear from Halloween as long as the truth is told. While there are groups who practice magic (the jury is still out) and contact with the dead, they don’t have exclusive rights on Halloween. They practice their crafts all year round and not just this one night of the year.