1. Halloween

2. Halloween – What does it mean to you?

3. All Hallows, All Saints, All Souls
Halloween is actually the first day in a 3 day tradition involving the celebration of souls and saints All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day encourage people to celebrate saints and martyrs, pray for dead souls yet to pass to heaven and to scare away evil spirits.

4. All Hallow’s Eve
This day traditionally comes from a pre – Christian tradition of scaring off evil spirits and welcoming good ones. As a result, we dress up in frightening ways, carry lanterns in order to scare off these evil spirits. This has led to the tradition of ‘trick or treating’

5. Trick or Treat?
It is thought that this has evolved from the original tradition of ‘souling’. This involved poor folk going from door to door on All Saints Day receiving soul cakes in return for prayers for dead souls in purgatory.

6. All Saints’ Day
This day is set aside to remember all saints and martyrs. Believers are required to attend church on this day (1st November) and try not to do any serving work. This day has been around since the 4th century AD. It has been celebrated in its current form since 837AD .

7. All Saints’ Day
‘We celebrate today the solemnity of All Saints. This invites us to turn our gaze to the multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land (Heaven), and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination’ Pope John Paul II. All Saints’ Day 2003

8. All Souls’ Day
Typically celebrated by Roman Catholics and Anglo – Catholic churches. They remember and pray for the souls of those who are in Purgatory. It is thought that praying for these souls will help them pass into Heaven.

9. Halloween
Originally, people took Halloween seriously. They really were scared of evil spirits. In present day, we have plenty of fun traditions with costumes and games. Maybe we can incorporate the original tradition of celebrating good people who do good things on All Saints’ Day.

10. Halloween
Think about those people who have given their lives to help us live ours. People who are selfless every day in order to help others have an easier life. Those people who deserve to be thanked but are forgotten. May your faith support you.