TODAY THE WORDS are HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Get the costumes out for the kiddies and for those adults who refuse to grow up and love Halloween as much or more than they did as kids. We have an average of 200 trick or treaters at our home each year. Over the years, we have had the cutest and some scary visitors. May all of the little ones be safe and have fun getting the sugar rush of the year. May all parents who will feel the effects of the sugar highs…..Patience dear parents….we used to be them! I wanted to give us a little history which is later than the Celtic Pagan festivals for the dead. I found an excerpt from Bodie Hodge’s article for us to enjoy.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
The Name “Halloween” (Excerpt by Bodie Hodge on October 29, 2013)
Around AD 600, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints’ Day, and Pope Gregory III later moved this holiday to November 1 in an effort to give a Christian alternative to this pagan celebration.5
Christians who did not want to celebrate pagan festivals celebrated something of positive spiritual value—in this case honoring the saints and martyrs. With the overwhelming expansion of Christianity in Europe, All Saint’s Day became the dominant holiday.6
In fact, the current name of “Halloween” originates from the day before All Saint’s Day, which was called “All Hallow Evening”; this name was shortened to “All Hallow’s Eve” or “All Hallow’s Even.” The name changed over time and became “Hallowe’en.”
A couple hundred years later, the Roman Church made November 2 All Souls Day to honor the dead. This may well have been influenced by the continued persistence of the day of the dead by the ancient Irish, Scots, and others in Europe. Standing against this, many Protestant Christians celebrate October 31 as Reformation Day in honor of reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others who spearheaded the Reformation in the 1500s.
Now for the deeper thought…..Many people wonder if Halloween should be celebrated. As anything can be used for good or evil; remember to keep good thoughts in any holiday with reverence and kindness. For us, it is a time of fun for the the children to dress up in costumes and go to either church events and/or going around the neighborhoods for treats. It is up to the individual families to decide for themselves. We, as children, had so much fun trick or treating, I cannot see harm in it; but again choose for yourselves and enjoy your children doing something fun.
An alternative to Trick or Treat is the Trunk and Treat which a lot of churches are participating to control the risks of going home to home which has been successful.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV)
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
(c) copyright 2012- 2022 Arline Lott Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission and third party material is sourced, if known, for credit reference.
