Laugh It Off
FROM THE RECTOR
I do not know what is more predictable—the rush to put up Halloween decorations in mid-September or the religious backlash to all the ghosts, witches, and goblins around town. Both have a long and complicated history.
All Saints’ Day, celebrated by the church every year on November 1, is at the heart of our Halloween traditions. At All Saints we remember all the holy ones of God who, “having professed faith in the living Christ in days past, had entered into the nearer presence of their Lord” (Lesser Feasts & Fasts 2018, 551). This desire among the faithful to remember before God all the saints and to express the godly connection between the living and the dead was practiced at least as early as the ninth century, when Pope Gregory IV encouraged its celebration throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
In the centuries that followed, All Saints became a mini-season of liturgical remembrance known as Allhallowtide. These observances begin on the eve of All Saints (hence “Halloween”) and continue through the commemoration of All Faithful Departed on November 2. Like many other Christian celebrations, the religious elements of All Saints have been shaped by other folk or pagan practices, which in turn have grown to include Christianized components. For example, El Día de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican festival that combines Catholic teaching and indigenous culture in ways that have become widespread.
As with any cultural amalgamation, keeping track of which symbol represents what belief can be difficult. Are sugar skulls a way to draw closer to the people we love or to scare off the spirits we fear? Are bubbling cauldrons a vestige of pagan practice or a large pot around which family and friends gather for a meal? In other words, what symbols of Halloween are worth embracing, and which ones should we leave behind? That always depends on whom you ask.
As I have mentioned before, I am particularly drawn to the Halloween tradition of mocking those things that have no real power over us. We dress up like devils and demons because, as people protected by Almighty God, we know that they cannot hurt us—at least not in an eternal way. We watch scary movies because, although frightening, we know that the characters on the screen cannot do us any harm. If we perceived any real danger behind those playful pursuits, we would no longer be able to make light of them, which is why I find the religious backlash against Halloween so interesting.
I enjoy laughing at misplaced religious zealotry as much as mocking Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God. Last week, I got a kick out of seeing that Ozark Natural Foods is selling pumpkins for $6.66. That is the kind of double-edged silliness I love to celebrate during this season of trick-or-treat! I need to be careful, though, to remember that, as a product of the English Reformation, my own spiritual heritage includes those who would have banished all mention of ghost and goblins as a hangover of the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory. You would need to press that doctrine pretty far to figure out why dressing up like a ghost is reminiscent of the belief that souls must experience purgation before ascending into the heavenly realm, but there have been plenty of faithful people throughout the years who think that dabbling with demons is a wholly bad idea.
This year, as Halloween and All Saints approach, I am looking for playful reminders that death does not win. As I hold in my heart dozens of people who have died in recent years, I am looking for fun and ostentatious ways to celebrate God’s dramatic victory over death. There is nothing more joyful than a group of faithful people sticking out their tongues and thumbing their noses at death because they know that it has no power over them or their loved ones. The world is forever changed because of Covid, but, because it has, at times, felt like death is lurking around every corner, I want a way to celebrate the belief that not even death gets the last laugh. This year’s Allhallowtide might provide the perfect way to do that.
You do not need to dress up as a devil to remember that, in the end, the devil cannot win, but it might help you to remember that the playful mocking of this season has its roots in faithful remembrance. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know that those who die are not lost forever. Sometimes that truth calls for a somber, serious encounter, but other times silliness is the best way to celebrate. In most years, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters is joy enough, but this year I am looking for a little bit more. Maybe you, too, might benefit from approaching Halloween as an opportunity to stick out your tongue at death. I know I will.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan D. Garner