Today’s Halloween is a holiday of ghosts and witches. The scary decorations we see on our neighbors' lawns seem far removed from anything divine or sacred. Yet Halloween (or as it was once known, All Hallows' Eve) was an important Catholic holiday for over 1,000 years.
The beginning of All Hallows' Eve goes back to the 8th century, when Pope Saint Gregory III declared a Feast of All Saints on the 1st of November. Gregory IV (827-844) extended this feast to the entire Church. Soon after, the following day was set aside as All Souls Day, or The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.
The beginning of All Hallows' Eve goes back to the 8th century, when Pope Saint Gregory III declared a Feast of All Saints on the 1st of November. Gregory IV (827-844) extended this feast to the entire Church. Soon after, the following day was set aside as All Souls Day, or The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.
Holding a vigil the night before major feasts is an ancient Christian tradition. Christians would gather the night before All Saint's Day, and in Britian they referred to saints as "hallow" or holy. So the three-day holiday was called Allhallowtide, and the vigil on the night of October 31st was called All Hallows' Eve.
During Allhallowtide, Christians would bake "soul cakes," small shortbread cookies with sweet spices. Children would go door-to-door, and in return for soul cakes they would promise to pray for the souls of the giver and their relatives in Purgatory. This tradition, called "souling," is the origin of trick-or-treating, and the tradition lives on in places like Portugal and the Philippines.
During Allhallowtide, Christians would bake "soul cakes," small shortbread cookies with sweet spices. Children would go door-to-door, and in return for soul cakes they would promise to pray for the souls of the giver and their relatives in Purgatory. This tradition, called "souling," is the origin of trick-or-treating, and the tradition lives on in places like Portugal and the Philippines.
The children would carry lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips and later potatoes and pumpkins for light and safety from evil spirits, and those were called jack-o'-lanterns.
In the spirit of the history of All Hallows' Eve, we have a collection of 8 new Holy Cards. We hope these cards will help you revive the tradition of praying for the spirits the dead during Allhallowmas, and reclaim the holiday for Christ.