Posted on 11/03/2021 8:31:39 AM PDT by Cronos
Sydney Catholics Azelie and Joseph Harb reclaimed Halloween this year and it was no trick and all treat!
The tiny revellers were among growing numbers of families celebrating in a way both faithful and festive by ditching costumes of ghouls and goblins in favour of their favourite Saints.
As the night before All Saints’ Day followed by All Souls’ Day, it’s a festival with deeply religious roots and today being resurrected as a time of remembering Saints and departed souls, not just an opportunity to dress up, knock on neighbours’ doors and collect lollies.
Long-time parishioner of Belfield’s St Michael the Archangel Parish, Jessica Harb, said both of her young children had really enjoyed selecting their favourite Saints – Rita and Maximilian Kolbe – to emulate and learn about.
For the past few weeks we have sat down and gone through the Saints and at just three and four years old they took a real interest in selecting their favourite, learning about them and finally dressing up as them,” she said.
“You really are never too young to learn, and both of them have not stopped talking about their Saint since.
“I must say, as parents we are against the demonic, pagan characters associated with Halloween and thought this would be a beautiful way to start teaching them about the real reason behind it all.
“It’s a fantastic way to reclaim Halloween, so many parents embraced the idea of dressing their kids up as Saints, which I think will grow in popularity every year.”
The St. Maximilian Kolbe costume is especially hilarious. Nice job, kids!
I always thought All Hallows Eve was a much cooler name than it’s corrupted later version known as Halloween.
It was pagan.
Now it’s pagan again.
Any dressing as Saint Pocamama??
The can take another step by recognizing “Allhallowtide”, which is the old 3-day observance.
The tradition was that for that period, “the veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead thins”.
On Allhallows eve, there is a rush of “spirits with unresolved issues”, as we might call them, which is why children wore masks, as disguises, so they do not get pestered by spirits who think they know them. Noise making is also encouraged, as it tends to drive such spirits away.
With the dawn comes All Saints’ Day, which after the restless spirits are ushered back, is the joyful and solemn remembrance of the best of the departed ones who were good Christians. It turns into All Souls’ Day on Nov 2.
Called The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos in Spanish), it is carried out in cemeteries.
All Souls’ Day is celebrated differently by different Christian sects. Some associate it more with Easter. The western branches have more and more shunned the dead, and see just a brief service at a funeral as all that is needed.
Good!!
I agree.
Halloween as practiced today is non-Christian or even anti-Christian. Not pagan - no more than Wiccan which is also anti-Christian.
Both Wiccan beliefs and the Halloween “celebration” are anti-Christian, twisted versions made up in modern times.
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