Among the important dates celebrated by the Christian Church, two fall at the beginning of November. These include the feast of all saints and the feast of the memory of the dead.
Christianity and paganism
All Saints' Day for Catholics is November 1st. Its roots go back to time immemorial - in those years when polytheism and paganism existed. The Celtic peoples who inhabited Europe almost two thousand years ago, it was November that was considered the month of the New Year. Deifying nature, its phenomena, they saw something mystical in the change of seasons. Winter with its cold, frost, plunging all living things into a deep sleep, similar to death, was perceived by people as something evil, hostile, which should be feared and protected from. The most important magically was New Year's Eve. On this night, according to legend, invisible gates to another world open, and from it all kinds of spirits, magical creatures penetrate to people. And especially dedicated ones, sorcerers and magicians, can themselves touch the mystery of the other world. Moreover, on New Year's Eveaccording to the Celtic calendar, the souls of the people who once lived here rush to their homes. They want to partake of the holiday and expect special, sacrificial treats from the living. In order to pacify and calm ghosts and phantoms, evil and good, on the night of November 1, houses were decorated in a special way, a special treat was prepared, which was often displayed at the thresholds of houses, and in families all household members gathered at a brightly burning hearth and tried not to stick their nose out into the street. Moreover, the weather often added its sinister note to the general mystical surroundings. A storm or a thunderstorm could break out in full, lightning flashed, rain lashed, thunder raged. And the most daring at such moments shuddered timidly and repeated defensive spells to themselves. And in the days of Ancient Rome, in the same period, funeral rites and seeing off autumn were also performed. Therefore, when the Catholic Church appointed All Saints' Day on November 1, and the old pagan worldview was superimposed on the new, Christian one. Churches used to sing "All Saints' Mass" on this day, the English name of which is close to Halloween, rewritten in the common people.
Features of the name
The very name of the holiday is not quite usual. Traditionally, in Catholic and Orthodox calendars, a certain day is assigned to one or another Christian martyr or saint, when services, prayers, etc. are held in his honor. Halloween or All Saints' Day is dedicated to those legendary figures for whom specific dates are not recorded. Official solemn services inhis honor began to be held from the 11th century. The tradition lives on to this day.
History and present
The unkind atmosphere that surrounded All Saints' Day at that time could not be overcome overnight. Moreover, it has acquired an even more sinister connotation. In the Middle Ages and in later times, witches and sorcerers held covens and black masses, made human sacrifices, and accepted newcomers into their ranks. It was believed that on this day, after performing the appropriate rituals, one could find out the future, get help from mystical forces, lose one's own soul, becoming the prey of all evil spirits. The development of progress and civilization pushed the gloomy flavor of the holiday into the past. Today, Saints' Day is more like a carnival-horror story, when young people put on creepy costumes, arrange mystery performances in the style of horror films, and decorate houses with pumpkin skulls with burning lanterns. However, the dead are commemorated, they go to cemeteries, lay flowers on graves, prepare traditional dishes, and services are held in churches.
In this regard, Halloween is similar to some Orthodox holidays. For example, the day of the Holy Trinity. Photos from the holiday, which are published in Orthodox publications, clearly demonstrate both the solemn vestments of priests and the elegantly decorated premises of temples and churches. And then in Orthodoxy they also celebrate the Day of Remembrance, very similar to the Catholic one.
The fate of the holiday turned out to be so interesting!
