It's All Hallows Eve<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"That's right, the holiday commonly known as Halloween, with pagan roots handed down by way of the Christian liturgical calendar, is upon us. \" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It's All Hallows Eve\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"That's right, the holiday commonly known as Halloween, with pagan roots handed down by way of the Christian liturgical calendar, is upon us. \" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daffey Thoughts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-31T07:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/files\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-yT77CSPGfUo\/Tq6JrFMCabI\/AAAAAAAAAgc\/pMS_qNqjIME\/s400\/hell.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Griffey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Griffey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html\",\"name\":\"It's All Hallows Eve\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-10-31T07:58:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-10-31T07:58:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/#\/schema\/person\/9de3f33a0818ebc53727444b649c82a7\"},\"description\":\"That's right, the holiday commonly known as Halloween, with pagan roots handed down by way of the Christian liturgical calendar, is upon us. \",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/10\/its-all-hallows-eve.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"It’s All Hallows Eve\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/\",\"name\":\"Daffey Thoughts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/#\/schema\/person\/9de3f33a0818ebc53727444b649c82a7\",\"name\":\"Dave Griffey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/546cf1ab64797c201cc8ad19185f2e57?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/546cf1ab64797c201cc8ad19185f2e57?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dave Griffey\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/author\/dgriffey\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"It's All Hallows Eve","description":"That's right, the holiday commonly known as Halloween, with pagan roots handed down by way of the Christian liturgical calendar, is upon us. 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The nostalgia factor is difficult to grasp, that\u2019s for sure.\u00a0 As America continues to flounder due to its lack of roots in anything beyond the latest smartphone technology, hedonism has become the overarching trademark of American life, mixed with consumerism and narcissism.\u00a0 Thus it\u2019s tough to remember that, for the child of the Western Tradition, this day actually has some religious connotations, if only because of its proximity to All Saints Day, and All Souls Day which follows fast on its heels. <\/p>\n

Yes, much of it, even historically, was a result of the assimilation of non-Christian traditions and customs.\u00a0 Contrary to popular Hollywood belief, the Catholic Church didn\u2019t butcher and slaughter any idea that came from outside of its cloistered walls.\u00a0 Throughout its history, many traditions, ideals, practices, and customs from the pagan world made their way into the stream of the faith.\u00a0 Christmas trees anyone?\u00a0 This unofficial holiday is no different.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

While the history of Halloween and all of the associated images and icons is beyond my concern or care right now, it\u2019s enough to remember that behind all the conflicting stories of where jack-o-lanterns came from, behind all of the diverse theories about the level of influence that ancient pagan practice had on this day, behind all of the usual scholarly squabbles over the precise method by which this European custom came to America, is a very simple truth.*\u00a0 That truth is that, for the Christian, today is simply the day before that grand celebration of the Saints of the faith.\u00a0 For all the saints, including those who don\u2019t have their own particular day or recognition, tomorrow is a time to rejoice and celebrate that great cloud of witnesses and the peace and bliss to which they point.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s appropriate, of course,\u00a0that the evening before such a celebration of the promise of salvation would find its antithesis in a reflection on the darker truths of the universe.\u00a0 A time when death is dwelt upon, the powers of darkness are reflected upon \u2013 and dutifully mocked \u2013 and we maintain a healthy reminder of just what forces exist outside of the covering grace of God.\u00a0 And when kept in perspective, the nightly buffoonery and frolicking, the candy and caramel apples, seem altogether acceptable. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s when we discard tomorrow, and see tonight as the end all; when we see it as a time to rejoice in hedonism and debauchery, when Madison Avenue steps in and pushes the sexting up of our kids in order to cash in on a expendable childhoods, when life is sold cheap, and we applaud the mutilation of life and the living for our own gratification, that the holiday has lost its luster.\u00a0 Indeed, it has\u00a0lost its one possible meaning.\u00a0 That meaning is that the dark forces can indeed be mocked and even laughed at, because we have been given a salvation that has been passed down through the ages.\u00a0 A salvation that many before us have obtained, and through the sacramental life of the Church triumphant, we have an avenue through which we can wake up in the morning, and remind ourselves that it was all a passing moment.\u00a0 We can remember that the real existence is that which will take us beyond this mortal coil, and into the arms of the Living God for eternity.\u00a0 That is the\u00a0celebration of All Hallows\u2019 Day.<\/p>\n

So Happy All Hallows Eve.\u00a0 Rejoice in the promise of salvation before us.\u00a0 Remind ourselves of the present darkness and the powers and principalities of this age, the fate that awaits those who would so willingly reject the gracious gift of God, and from there we can throw back the tides of rampant consumerism, debauchery, decadence, hedonism, and similar philosophical children of darkness, and enjoy a ghost or goblin for what it really represents: a way of making little the darkness which cannot withstand the Light.\u00a0 Oh, and enjoy those Hershey bars in the process.<\/p>\n

*For a nice little look at the origins of the holiday from a non-secular, non-skeptic\u2019s perspective, you could do worse than this little article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"