Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 2

Halloween and Christianity

Michael Williams
Religion
10/28/96
It is often said that Halloween is not the harmless holiday it
is
tho!ght to "e# instead it is "elie$ed to "e a %agan rit!al which dates
"ac& to
the ancient Celtic 'r!ids( )ccording to the article *ho!ld +!r ,ids
Cele"rate
Halloween- in Catholic 'igest Halloween.s origin is $ery m!ch
Christian and
)merican(
)ltho!gh the ancient Celts cele"rated a minor festi$al on the
/1st of
+cto"er# it fell on that day "eca!se the 0east of )ll *aints or )ll
Hallows
falls on 1o$em"er 1st( '!ring the 820s 3o%e 4regory I5 gad )ll *aints
'ay to "e
cele"rated e$erywhere( 6he day "efore the feast "ecame &nown as )ll
Hallows
7$en or Hallowe.en( )t the time# that day did not ha$e any real
significance(
In the year of 998# the a""ot of the monastery of Cl!ny in so!thern
0rance# *t(
+dilo added a cele"ration on 1o$em"er 2nd called )ll *o!ls 'ay( 6he new
cele"ration was a feast whose %!r%ose was to recogni8e those in hea$en
and in
%!rgatory(
6he tradition of dressing !% in cost!mes on Halloween is deri$ed
from
the 0east of )ll *o!ls 'ay in 0rance( '!ring the 12th and 19th
cent!ries when
7!ro%e was hit "y o!t"rea&s of the "!"onic %lag!e# a"o!t half of its
%o%!lation
was wi%ed o!t( *ince life s%ans were greatly shortened "eca!se of the
%lag!e#
Catholics "egan to foc!s on the after life( 6he n!m"er of Masses hel%
largely
increased and %eo%le of all social classes gathered to dress in
different
garments and lead lost s%irits to the tom" in a daisy chain which
"ecame &nown
as the 'ance of 'eath(
'ressing !% did not "ecome %art of Halloween !ntil the creation
of the
:ritish colonies in 1orth )merica( '!ring that %eriod of time#
Catholics had no
legal rights in 7ngland( )t times 7nglish Catholics attem%ted to
resist( +ne
s!ch occasion was a %lot to destroy ,ing ;ames I and his 3arliament with
g!n%owder( 6he %lan was ill<concei$ed and easily foiled when the g!ard
of the
%owder# 4!y 0aw&es# was fo!nd and h!ng on 1o$em"er 9# 1609( 6he date
"ecame
widely cele"rated in 7ngland( :ands of re$elers "egan to wear mas&s on
that date
and $isited local Catholics d!ring the night demanding "eer and ca&es
for their
cele"ration( 6his is the root of what has "ecome &nown as tric& or
treat=(
)s 0rench and Irish Catholics immigrated into the colonies# they "egan
to inter<
marry( 6he com"ination of their traditions mi>ed with %eo%le of other
nationalities is what led to the c!rrent way we cele"rate Halloween(
In concl!sion# Halloween is not the occ!lt which most %eo%le
"elie$e# it
is the %rod!ct of se$eral c!lt!res incl!ding Christianity(

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi