My Word: All Hallows' Eve

October 30, 2008 [Episcopal Life] All Hallows' Eve is the evening of October 31, which precedes the church's celebration of All Saints' Day on November 1. The Book of Occasional Services (BOS) provides a form for a service on All Hallows' Eve. It begins with the Prayer for Light and includes two or more readings from Scripture. The options for the readings include the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3-25), the Vision of Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 4:12-21), the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) and the War in Heaven (Revelation 12:[1-6]7-12). The readings are followed by a psalm, canticle or hymn, and a prayer. The BOS notes that "suitable festivities and entertainments" may precede or follow the service, and there may be a visit to a cemetery or burial place.

The popular name for this festival is Halloween.

It was the eve of Samhain, a pagan Celtic celebration of the beginning of winter and the first day of the New Year. This time of the ingathering of the harvest and the approach of winter apparently provided a reminder of human mortality. It was a time when the souls of the dead were said to return to their homes. Bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits. Samhain was a popular festival at the time when the British Isles were converted to Christianity. The church "adopted" this time of celebration for Christian use.

Adapted from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians, © 2000 by Don Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors, used by permission of Church Publishing.