Today we celebrate Halloween as a time for children (and some adults) to go door to door looking for candy. With a cheery “Trick or Treat” the little beggars wait with their bags and buckets outstretched to receive their treat. Most households oblige. Some communities have moved Halloween to the Sunday afternoon before October 31st to avoid a dark night. Others have opted for “Trunk or Treat” which corrals families in a safe place such as a school or church parking lot. All of these activities are fun and none of them have much to do with the origin of Halloween or more accurately All Hallows’ Eve. All Hallows’ Eve is the day before the very important feast of All Saints Day in Western Christian traditions.

In the early Christian tradition, the night before All Saints Day was a time to honor the saints that have passed before us and folks often dressed as their patron saints and visited neighbors. I suppose this may have been the beginnings of today’s modern celebration of Halloween. How we went from honoring our dearly departed, and the saints to slogging around as zombies, vampires, witches, princesses, Super Mario Brothers®, and all other manner of characters, I have no idea. Still, I think Halloween is harmless fun and most people handle it responsibly. Some people seem to think that allowing children to “Trick or Treat” is tempting the devil. Kids running around the neighborhood asking for candy is hardly a sign of a predilection to the occult. I say relax – no little girl or boy dressed as princess or a ninja is sacrificing animals at an altar. No one has traded their soul for a Snickers® bar.

I admire the tradition of my friends in Mexico. They celebrate November 1st and 2nd as “Día de los Muertos” or day of the dead. It’s a time to remember and honor those saints in our own lives. Families gather in cemeteries and blend Indigenous traditions with Catholic influences. Sometimes favorite foods, flowers, and small gifts are left at the grave and at other times the friends and families will share a meal in honor the deceased.

I love the idea that someday when I’m gone from this world my children and grandchildren might gather at my grave and share memories, a favorite food or drink, tell a joke, sing a favorite song and pray for my soul. Maybe it’s as superstitious and as silly as our modern Halloween traditions but I find comfort in knowing that I will not be forgotten.

And if they leave some candy, I hope it’s chocolate.

Peace,

Denis