Christianity and Traditions: All Saints Day

Among the important dates celebrated by the Christian Church, two occur at the beginning of November. These include the feast of all saints and the feast of the memory of the deceased.

Christianity and Paganism

All saints' day for Catholics comes on November 1.Its roots go back to time immemorial - in those years when there was polytheism and paganism. The Celtic peoples, who inhabited Europe almost two thousand years ago, it was November who considered the New Year as the month. By deifying nature, its phenomena, they saw something mystical in the change of the seasons. Winter with its cold, frosts, plunging all life into a deep sleep, like death, was perceived by people as something evil, hostile, which should be feared and what should be protected. The most important in the magic plan was the New Year's Eve. On this night, according to legend, an invisible gate opens into another world, and from it all sorts of spirits, magical creatures come to people. And especially dedicated, guides and magicians can touch the mystery of the other life themselves. Moreover, it is on the New Year's Eve that the souls of people who once lived here go to their homes for the Celtic calendar. They want to take part in the feast and wait from the living special, sacrificial food. To pacify and calm ghosts and phantoms, evil and kind, on the night of November 1, the houses were decorated in a special way, a special treat was prepared, which was often exhibited at the doorsteps of houses, and in families all the households gathered near a brightly burning hearth and tried not to stick out the nose . Especially since the weather often added its sinister note to the general mystical entourage. There could be a storm or a storm, a lightning, a rain, a thunder raging. And the bravest at such moments frantically winced and repeated to themselves protective spells. And in the time of Ancient Rome in the same period, also commemorative rites and send-offs of autumn. Therefore, when the Catholic Church on November 1 was appointed All Saints Day, and the old pagan world outlook was imposed on a new, Christian one. In churches, the "Mass of All Saints" was usually performed on this day, the English name of which is close to the Halloween pereinachennomu in common people.

Title Features

The name of the holiday is not quite usual.Traditionally, in Catholic and Orthodox saints, a certain Christian martyr or saint is assigned a certain day when services, prayers, etc. are held in his honor. The holiday of Halloween or All Saints' Day is dedicated to those legendary personalities, for which specific dates are not recorded. Officially solemn divine services in his honor began to be held from the 11th century. The tradition is still alive today.

History and modernity

The unfavorable atmosphere surrounding All Saints' Day inthat time, could not be outnumbered overnight. Moreover, it has acquired an even more ominous shade. In the Middle Ages and in later times, witches and sorcerers held sabbats and black masses, offered human sacrifices, and accepted newcomers into their ranks. It was believed that on that day, having conducted appropriate ceremonies, it was possible to learn the future, to get help from mystical forces, to lose one's own soul, becoming the prey of all evil spirits. The development of progress and civilization pushed into the past a gloomy color of the holiday. Today, the Day of Saints is more like a carnival-horror story, when young people put on eerie suits, arranges mystery representations in the style of horror films, and decorates houses with pumpkin skulls with burning lanterns. However, the deceased are commemorated, go to cemeteries, lay flowers on graves, prepare traditional dishes, churches are in service.

In this regard, Halloween is similar to someOrthodox holidays. For example, the day of the Holy Trinity. Photos from the holiday, which are placed in Orthodox publications, clearly demonstrate the solemn vestments of priests, and elegantly decorated rooms of churches and churches. And then in Orthodoxy, too, commemorate the Day of Remembrance, very similar to the Catholic.

That's such an interesting fate!