All Hallow's Eve

Despite common accusation that Halloween is “the Devil’s holiday," the celebration of Halloween actually has its roots in the Christian faith. The word Halloween is derived from the Old English word “Hallow,” which means“saint.” Halloween (or All Hallows' Eve) is the eve of All Saints Day, which Christians celebrate on  November 1. All Saints Day is a day to remember and commemorate the saints of God and the Martyrs of the Christian faith.
The date of All Saints Day was originally in the spring but was moved to November 1 during the ninth century in order to coincide with a Celtic pagan festival. This is where the association with the Devil comes in, but the purpose of this move was not to paganize Christianity, but to Christianize paganism. The hope was that offering an alternative celebration to the pagan festival would help to direct the pagan peoples of Europe away from idolatry and toward Christianity. Instead of worshiping the gods of the pre-Christian British Isles, the Christians were encouraged to set aside a day to worship the one true God and remember the faithful saints of God who had set an example of Christian living during their lives.
For liturgical Christians, the Celebration of All Saints begins on the eve of November 1 (Halloween night) with a candlelight service of Vespers (Evening Prayers.) This is a service of thanksgiving for the light of Jesus Christ and for the faithful Christians who have gone before us and have passed on the Gospel to each successive generation. During the service, the names of departed Christians are read aloud, and the participants are reminded of the fact that these saints are now part of the great cloud of witnesses who reside in the heavenly kingdom of God. In the service, we are also reminded that all Christians (living and dead) are the saints of God and that together we make up the body of Christ.
Join us this All Hallow's Eve (October 31) at 5:00 pm in the Pohick Cemetery as we give thanks to God for all the saints who have passed on the gospel of salvation to us today.