October 31, the day before All Saint's Day. has many different names.The most common one for it is Halloween. The question is, what is Halloween and what is it about?
But but...Halloween is just a party. Nothing more, right? Wrong! I, myself, am guilty of participating in these parties, small or grandiose. Until I realize that this celebration is of Pagan origin. So it's like.... I'm Catholic, but participating in a Satanic ritual! Horrible!
I remember, in my memories of distant past... Back in the province, when I was a kid... During October 31 (or November 1 maybe?), we didn't don costumes. We had this tradition of bringing only candles and visiting houses. At this time, the houses and streets were dimmed and the only source of light were candles. Before entering the house we would say, "Mangalag Kalag" (translates to... ugh... no literal translation but Kalag means Soul). Then the owner of the house would let us in. But before he/she gives us food or candy, we were required to offer a short prayer to the deceased loved ones of that house. I was a kid and my motivation of joining was that I could get free food! LOL! But I just realized that it was a good and proper way to celebrate the feast of the dead and to honor our ancestors.
I don't know if the tradition still lives in our province. All I know is that, here in the Metropolis, kids don in scary costumes for candy. Grown ups also wear costumes and attend parties. No prayers in between, folks.
I do feel that Halloween feels too commercialized. It might seem cool, with all the posters, promos, or even the costume parties. This, however, is not what Halloween is truly about. Too much commercialization lets you forget about it’s pagan origin and blinds you to the truth. That is a trap!
Don't celebrate the dead! Pray for the dead!
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhein which marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, a time of year associated with death. The pagan Celts believed that on that night, the boundary between the worlds of the living and dead blurred, and the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. It was a night for preternatural communication with the dead, various forms of divination and prophecy, and sexual rituals.
-HALLOWEEN; A RETURN TO PAGANISM?By Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D.
I remember, in my memories of distant past... Back in the province, when I was a kid... During October 31 (or November 1 maybe?), we didn't don costumes. We had this tradition of bringing only candles and visiting houses. At this time, the houses and streets were dimmed and the only source of light were candles. Before entering the house we would say, "Mangalag Kalag" (translates to... ugh... no literal translation but Kalag means Soul). Then the owner of the house would let us in. But before he/she gives us food or candy, we were required to offer a short prayer to the deceased loved ones of that house. I was a kid and my motivation of joining was that I could get free food! LOL! But I just realized that it was a good and proper way to celebrate the feast of the dead and to honor our ancestors.
I don't know if the tradition still lives in our province. All I know is that, here in the Metropolis, kids don in scary costumes for candy. Grown ups also wear costumes and attend parties. No prayers in between, folks.
I do feel that Halloween feels too commercialized. It might seem cool, with all the posters, promos, or even the costume parties. This, however, is not what Halloween is truly about. Too much commercialization lets you forget about it’s pagan origin and blinds you to the truth. That is a trap!
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulierebus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis, peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen
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