Post by Nancy Bechel
Have you ever thought about how odd some words are? If you repeat even the most common word long enough it will begin to sound strange, but some words kind of take the cake, so to speak. "Halloween" might be one of those words. We associate it with the creepiest day of the year, but what does the word actually mean?
Halloween, October 31st, was formerly known as "All Hallows' Eve". If you say "hallow eve" really quickly, it sounds like "Halloween", which is where we get the name.
"Hallowed" is actually another word for "holy". You've heard it before. In the Our Father we say, "Hallowed (or holy) be Thy Name."
"So Halloween basically means 'holy eve'?"
Yup. Or more accurately, "The Eve of the Holy Ones". Can you guess why?
On Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints. The saints are those who are already with God in Heaven. They have been made holy, and in the Mass are referred to as "the holy ones". All Saints Day, as it's more commonly called, is always on November 1st - which of course, is why All Hallows Eve is on October 31st, Halloween.
So "Hallows" = "Saints".
Makes sense, doesn't it?
So what's the big deal about Saints? Why do we have a feast day in the Church to celebrate them? Here to unravel some of the mystery is Fr. Mike Schmitz:
Halloween, October 31st, was formerly known as "All Hallows' Eve". If you say "hallow eve" really quickly, it sounds like "Halloween", which is where we get the name.
"Hallowed" is actually another word for "holy". You've heard it before. In the Our Father we say, "Hallowed (or holy) be Thy Name."
"So Halloween basically means 'holy eve'?"
Yup. Or more accurately, "The Eve of the Holy Ones". Can you guess why?
On Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints. The saints are those who are already with God in Heaven. They have been made holy, and in the Mass are referred to as "the holy ones". All Saints Day, as it's more commonly called, is always on November 1st - which of course, is why All Hallows Eve is on October 31st, Halloween.
So "Hallows" = "Saints".
Makes sense, doesn't it?
So what's the big deal about Saints? Why do we have a feast day in the Church to celebrate them? Here to unravel some of the mystery is Fr. Mike Schmitz: