5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Halloween (and All Saints Day!)
Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls?
In ancient times, the eve of All Saints (All Hallows Eve, or Halloween) became a day of celebration for Celtic Christians. People dressed up as the saints they would honor the next day. Characterizations of the nemesis of all the saints, the devil, also made an appearance in these celebrations. Skeletons, ghosts, and other images of death also appeared.
We who understand the Feast of All Saints can still rejoice in celebrating Halloween because of that very meaning: Christ and his saints have conquered evil, and death is followed by new life. We can celebrate Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day because we no longer are frightened by the reality of death.
Death can be painful, and we suffer loss from it, as well we should. Each human being is unique and irreplaceable! But our faith in Jesus Christ and his Resurrection assures us that life is changed rather than ended. Death is a passageway to new life. This is what Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day teach us.
Activities?
The following activities may help you and your students celebrate Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day with faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Halloween / All Saints’ Day Activity
Goal: to help the children understand the meaning of Halloween and All Saints’ Day by participating in a procession of saints.
Materials Needed
Preparation
Begin preparing about three weeks ahead of time. Speak with your class about the real meaning of Halloween as “All Hallows Eve,” a day to honor all the saints (“all hallows” means “all holy ones”) by dressing up as a favorite saint.
Ask each child to think about a favorite saint and be ready to choose a saint to “be” for a Halloween procession of saints. Bring books or pictures of the saints so that the children might choose a saint. Talk to the group about their given names if their names are the names of saints. Give the children the scheduled date of the procession. (Be sure to share this information with parents!) Ask another teacher if you may visit their classroom on the day of the procession and show off the costumes. Think about providing a snack for both rooms to enhance the celebration.
One Week before the Procession:
Ask each child to choose a favorite saint to honor in the procession. Keep a list of these saints. Prepare a name tag for each saint. Explain to the children that they are to come to class wearing or carrying their costumes and that they will be given time to get ready.
Procession Day
Give the children time to change into their costumes. Add sheets and towels to various costumes as needed. Hand out the “saints’” name tags. Ask the children, if time permits, to share something about their saint with the class. Share your own knowledge as appropriate. Lead the children in a procession around the room (if possible, find a recording of “When the Saints Go Marching In” as musical accompaniment). Lead the children into the prepared classroom for a procession around that room and a snack (if not fasting before Holy Communion).
If your parish permits, ask the children to wear their costumes to the All-Saints’ Day Mass. It might be possible for them to join in the entrance procession and the procession at the end of the liturgy.
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All Souls’ Day Activity
Goal: To help the children celebrate All Souls’ Day in a prayerful session of praying with the Church as they remember and pray for those in their families who have passed away and are now living in eternity.
Materials Needed
Preparation?
Share the meaning of All Souls’ Day with your group. Explain that, beginning with November 2, All Souls’ Day, the month of November is dedicated to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. However, as Saint Paul instructs us in the First Letter to the Thessalonians, we are not to grieve as those with no hope (4:13). We proclaim in the Creed every Sunday that we look forward to the resurrection and life after death. This belief is not put on the shelf during November!
Explain that we pray for those who have died, knowing that their true life is no longer on earth but in eternity, with the resurrected Christ. Yet we pray for them because we love them, and we do not want to forget them. They are still part of us, and we want them to be happy with Christ forever.
Beginning of the Session
In a prominent place, put a large candle (either real or battery-operated), surrounded by a wreath of flowers. Lower the lights and the shades in the classroom so that the candle’s light can be a focal point. Remind the group that this candle is a symbol of the light of Christ and his Resurrection.
Distribute one index card to each student. Instruct them to write their own name on one side. On the other side, ask them to write the names of family members they would like to remember in this prayer session. Allow a few moments for this.
Prayer and Reading of Names
Begin with this or a similar prayer: “Lord Jesus, we are celebrating All Souls’ Day with the Church by remembering those who have died. We know you are our risen Lord, and our Good Shepherd, and that you love and care for each person who has died. Bring them into your presence forever. Amen.”
Invite the children to take turns standing, reading the names on their cards, and placing their cards around the wreath. (You might want to ask them to fold the cards in half and stand them up, like a small tent.) Remind the children that this is a special time of prayer, and we want to respect each person’s names, just as we want our family’s names to be respected.
Closing Song (optional)
The “Song of Farewell” (Ernest Sands) might be found in your parish hymnal. The refrain is based on a blessing found in the funeral rite, just before the casket is taken from the church. Other hymns, like “Be Not Afraid” or “On Eagle’s Wings” are also appropriate.
You may want to ask the children to take their cards home, as a reminder to pray for their dear departed.
May your celebrations of Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day be blessed with grace and peace!
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