All Saints Day
By Aaron Addison
Pastor of Theology & Discipleship
As Christians, we often don’t know how to navigate Halloween. It is a season marked by horror movies and slasher films. Kids dress up as demons, witches, villains, and zombies. Death and darkness seem to be lauded and celebrated. As a result, many churches opt for neutral celebrations or abstain from activities altogether. So it might come as a shock to some Christians to learn Halloween is a holiday all about Jesus (or at least, it should be). In fact, it began as an explicitly Christian celebration.
Origins
Most of us learned the supposed origins of Halloween through scary movies. Ancient people believed that, on this day, the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred. All kinds of ghosts and spirits would be unleashed on the world. People would dress up in costumes to disguise themselves from supernatural creatures who would want to do them harm. They would carve pumpkins with scary faces to ward off evil spirits. Food offerings would be left outside their door to pacify the wandering ghouls’ trickery. While this backstory is well-entrenched in our minds, it has little to no historical support. To be sure, pagans held feasts at the turn of the season. But there are no ancient records of these kinds of “Halloween” traditions included in the festivities. Instead, those pagan origin stories sprang up after Christians had already established this holiday.
Where did this holiday actually come from? From very early in its history, the church took great effort to remember and celebrate the spiritual heroes of the past, especially martyrs who had given their lives for the gospel. Initially, the church would set aside a day to meditate on the faith and example of these believers. But, as you can imagine, the centuries went on and the calendar filled up with almost daily feasts.
So, in the ninth century, the church created a “catch-all” holiday to honor them. November 1 was named All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day. Both “saint” and “hallow” mean the same thing here: a holy person. In the New Testament, all Christians are made holy, or “sainted,” because of the work of Jesus. But historically, the church came to use this word to also mean heroes of the faith, those who were now in heaven with Jesus.
All Saints’ Day is dedicated to remembering those who have gone before us. It is a day to look back and reflect on the history of our faith. Jesus has been rescuing and transforming people for thousands of years. When we recall the stories of the faithful, we are encouraged to remain steadfast. The saints remind us that, whether in life or in death, Jesus is worth it.
Over time, two other holidays were sandwiched around All Saints’ Day. All Hallow’s Eve (later shortened to Halloween) was celebrated on October 31. It began as a day of preparation, prayer, and fasting. It was customary to hold vigil on the night before a major feast. On Halloween, Christians would gather together and reflect on Jesus’ victory over death.
On November 2, another holiday was added on the other side of All Saints’. This day was known as All Souls’ Day. Instead of solely remembering spiritual giants of history, All Souls’ Day was set aside to remember the ordinary faithful who have died in our family and community.
How to Engage
So, as followers of Jesus, how can we better engage this season?
First, we can reflect on the victory of Jesus over death. In our culture, we often want to avoid the harsh realities of grief. But the sting of death impresses upon us the urgency of life. The Bible describes death as an enemy, a tyrant, that swallows us up.
When Jesus died, he faced death head-on. If Jesus had stayed dead, death would have boasted its greatest triumph. But Jesus does something no one else had ever done before. He rose from the dead. The “Tyrant” who reigned over every man and woman who had ever lived couldn’t keep its grasp on Jesus. But Jesus didn’t just escape death; he forever broke death. For those who follow Jesus, the power of death has been defeated. Though the faithful people we remember during this season have died, they live right now in the presence of Jesus.
Second, we can learn about the lives of influential Christians throughout history. Hebrews 11 teaches us to remember the faith of those who have gone before us. The faithful witness of spiritual fathers and mothers encourages us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
You might choose to reflect on martyrs, like Perpetua and Felicitas. These women stood firm in the faith despite pleas from their families to turn from Christ. Or you can learn about Polycarp, who, in his old age, served a meal to his persecutors and faced the fires of martyrdom with boldness. Or learn about other heroes of the faith, like Athanasius, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, or John Calvin. And while you are at it, pray for those throughout the world who face persecution and martyrdom today.
Finally, we can remember loved ones close to us who died. Talk about them with your family. Share stories. And remind yourself: if they are in Christ, they are alive right now with God. And one day, Jesus will raise them up to live on this earth once again.
RESOURCES
Our Church Speaks by Ben Lansing and D. J. Marotta
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs