Boo!

Tomorrow is Halloween. These days, at our church, that means Trunk 'n Treat. We're obviously not as uptight as some think we are, we Presbyterians. I have to work at the church tomorrow -- then we have this Evangelism event from 4pm - 6pm -- then I have choir practice from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. That's a 10 hour day for me, if I do it all. Too much church, even for this church lady.

But I couldn't turn down my formidable fellow church lady friends. LOL. Don't misunderstand. They're little hotties (at least in costume), but they pour-on the peer pressure real good (how's THAT for bad grammar?). So somehow I have found myself committing to sponsoring a trunk and putting together not one, but parts of THREE costumes: my own chainsaw surgeon, a witch or gypsy of some sort, and a punk rocker. Yeh, the Clerk of Session asked me to bring a hot pink wig for him to wear. This is truly very amusing. David put that wig on once and we got some funny pictures. That was a long time ago.

Think about it. Evangelism for a church: All Hallows' Eve. I think it is probably very appropriate for we Gaelic (Scottish) Presbyterians as it is believed to have come from ancient tradition to mark the end of summer and the beginning of winter. According to sources via "Wikipedia," Samhain (summer's end) was seen as a time when the 'door' to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world. The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes on Samhain. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. Lewis Spence described it as a "feast of the dead" and "festival of the fairies". However, harmful spirits and fairies were also thought to be active at Samhain. People took steps to allay or ward-off these harmful spirits/fairies, which is thought to have influenced today's Halloween customs. Creepy. Halloween is also thought to have been influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows, Hallowmas or Hallowtide) on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2.

History goes on and on to explain how the customs of our current-day Halloween practices came to America -- mostly due to the Scottish influence. To me, that's really funny and somewhat unseemly, as a life-long Scottish Presbyterian. We're typically thought to be so proper and all ... but here we are, Trunk 'n Treating. Who knew that my ancestors were such renegades!? I like it!

All Hallows' Eve evolves overnight into All Saints' Day -- to which I relate deeply, for many of my loved ones are dead. "Saints" refers to all Christians and therefore, on All Saints' Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation, are honoured and remembered. It sometimes seems a bit awkward -- a bit queer -- but when certain pastors find comfort in going all-out, we openly remember those who have died. It can be a very beautiful kind of worship. "Jesus, remember me, when I come into your Kingdom," is a phrase we often sing in remembrance of those saints who have died. It's beautiful. But why the ghouls and goblins?

The Mexican holiday, "Day of the Dead," (Día de los Muertos) is celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is a national holiday in Mexico. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased. The Mexicans aren't very squeamish about this celebration -- we Americans find it a bit coarse -- a bit over the top, though we're actually doing just the same thing under the guise of a children's fun and harmless little celebration of Trick-or-Treating. We've gotta scare away those harmful spirits! Hmmmm. Americans -- so neat and tidy.

So how do I feel about all of this? Well, I certainly do think that those believers who have died are Saints. I believe that all believers are Saints. In the Reformed tradition, people are considered to be saints when they get baptized and dedicate their lives to Jesus. Simple as that. Because of that, sometimes we don't feel comfortable honoring the dead as "extra" saintly. But I think it's okay to do so. I sure do want to remember my parents, my husband, and many others as saints: Hebrews 12:1 -- Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. I love this. Those who have believed and died before us surround us and undergird us in our living.

Mostly I just think Halloween is fun -- and liberating. We love being scared -- being creeped-out, or else we wouldn't continue these practices -- haunted houses, horror movies and Halloween. One day a year we let our protective guards down and just get down and dirty with death: skeletons and graveyards and ghosts -- all those things that we're generally very uncomfortable contemplating. Then, on All Saints' Day, we go back to our norms -- our funeral home formalities and fear of death. We really need to do this better.