IF we accept September 21 as the autumnal equinox and December 22 as the winter solstice, both established by astronomical events of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun together with the orientation of the Earth’s axis of rotation, then halfway from one date to the other is October 31. What other anniversaries are there on this date?
For Hindus, it has to be Diwali, which fills homes and streets with glowing lamps and vibrant decorations. It brings people together.
Closer to home it is the day we remember Martin Luther (1546), who protested against the corruptness of Rome, and we prepare for the next day, All Saints Day or All Hallows Day, the evening before being Hallowe’en.
It is interesting that Pope Gregory III (731–741) founded an oratory in St Peter's for the relics “of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors”. Over time it spread and became an important date in the Christian calendar.
It coincided with the fact that growth in spring and flowering in summer no longer took place. It was a time to remember the dead.
By the 15th century, it had become a custom to bake and share “soul” cakes for all dead christened souls. Poor people, often children, would go door-to-door collecting soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the dead, especially the souls of the givers’ friends and relatives. This was called “souling”.
By the 19th century, candles were lit in homes and by the 20th century these candles had been placed in shells of pumpkins with a profile cut from the skin. It has been observed that churches too poor to display relics of martyred saints let parishioners dress up as saints instead. This became an origin of dressing in costumes in the present day.
So these customs date from our Christian traditions, not pagan ones, relating to traditions based on astronomical events. Hallowe’en is another way to celebrate together as a community, strengthening our cultural bonds. These bonds help us to respond to community needs following Jesus’ call to love one another.
Alan Coode, reader in the parish of St Austell