Brigidine Sisters wish their associates, partners in ministry and all a “Happy Halloween” and a “Happy Samhain”.
Today, Halloween which originated in the Northern Hemisphere, is a mixture of different cultural traditions, some pagan – mostly Celtic – and some Christian. What we know is that Halloween as we know it developed in relation to the feast of All Saints celebrated annually on 1 November. Hallowe’en, All Saints Day and All Souls Day form a ‘triduum’ sometimes called “Allhallowtide”.
How people celebrate Halloween, depend on where one lives. For instance, in Brittany, the night was solemn and without a trace of merriment. In Ireland and Scotland, it was traditionally a lively combination of prayer and merriment. In USA and other countries traditions preserve Samhain’s spirit of revelry in the face of frightening thoughts of death and the supernatural as the days grow darker and colder. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the Day of the Dead honors deceased loved ones and ancestors with parades, candles and visits to the graves of loved ones.
A Samhain Prayer from the Northern Hemisphere
