November 02, 2006
All souls day
The other night, as LK and I were walking past St. Savior's on 8th avenue in brooklyn, she asked if Catholics endorse Halloween. The school was done up in a host of constuction paper cut-outs of witches and ghoasts.
"Endorse it? hell, the Catholic Church invented it," I said, this surprising her that the Church would support something that is an icon for ghoasts and demons and bad re-runs of CSI on the tele.
The catholic Church has always been good about going into new and unfamiliar places, the old addage for Jesuit missionaries was, "Have them invite you in through their window, and then have them walk out your front door." A sign of success for any religious group is its ability to adapt to the culture that surrounds it. In the days when the Roman monks moved into England, they saw the pagan rites and figured out a way to form them into Christian ideals. Halloween, which is probably the most thought of day when illustrating thispoint, falls on the eve of All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation for Catholics, where they go to church to celebrate all the saints that have come before them. The day is one of the big four, up there with christmas, Easter, and Ash wednesday, as far as church attendance goes.
The other night, LK and I ventured to the Halloween parade on 6th Avenue in the City to watch the parade, which had Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss at the grand marshalls. The parade was full of lots of great creative costumes. In today's cecular world, there were no saints or religious symbols. There were, however, a great number of international tourists who were drawn in by this unique American custom, one which is more Anglo in origin.
Today is NO November 2nd, which is also another major Catholic feast day. well, at least a minor feast. It is All Souls Day, when the Catholic Church remembers all those other than saints who have gone on to the next world. In Latin America--especially in Mexico--this is a huge day, a sort of Halloween south of the border. La Dia de las Muertas is celebrated all month, when an altar is placed in the home with pictures and memories of loved ones. The altar, called an ofrenda, is an offering to the dead, to our loved ones.
It's a powerful experience full of symbolism and vivid colors during a time when the skies turn cloudy and the chill begins to set into the North. You an walk around the Mexican neighborhoods in New York or Chicago and see the brightly colored sugar skulls in the windows, the Mexican and Latin American equivilant to our pumpkins. Death is part of Latino culture. And once you've moved past the macobb (did I spell that right)?), you find how wonderful a holiday is today, Cathollic or not Catholic. It's not full of candy, of commercialism on display down the parade route, of chances to go out and party. Instead, it's time to remember your loved ones, to celebrate that they are now in the great kingdom (wherever that is depending on your faith), and to pay respects in hope that your prayers will be heard, and that maybe they'll put a good word in for you at the head office.
So, take a few moments to remember all the loved ones who have walked ahead, and maybe make a little ofrenda of your own for this month. I bet thanksgiving day will mean that much more when you move the Ofrenda out of the way to make room for the Turkey and sweet Potato pie.
"Endorse it? hell, the Catholic Church invented it," I said, this surprising her that the Church would support something that is an icon for ghoasts and demons and bad re-runs of CSI on the tele.
The catholic Church has always been good about going into new and unfamiliar places, the old addage for Jesuit missionaries was, "Have them invite you in through their window, and then have them walk out your front door." A sign of success for any religious group is its ability to adapt to the culture that surrounds it. In the days when the Roman monks moved into England, they saw the pagan rites and figured out a way to form them into Christian ideals. Halloween, which is probably the most thought of day when illustrating thispoint, falls on the eve of All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation for Catholics, where they go to church to celebrate all the saints that have come before them. The day is one of the big four, up there with christmas, Easter, and Ash wednesday, as far as church attendance goes.
The other night, LK and I ventured to the Halloween parade on 6th Avenue in the City to watch the parade, which had Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss at the grand marshalls. The parade was full of lots of great creative costumes. In today's cecular world, there were no saints or religious symbols. There were, however, a great number of international tourists who were drawn in by this unique American custom, one which is more Anglo in origin.
Today is NO November 2nd, which is also another major Catholic feast day. well, at least a minor feast. It is All Souls Day, when the Catholic Church remembers all those other than saints who have gone on to the next world. In Latin America--especially in Mexico--this is a huge day, a sort of Halloween south of the border. La Dia de las Muertas is celebrated all month, when an altar is placed in the home with pictures and memories of loved ones. The altar, called an ofrenda, is an offering to the dead, to our loved ones.
It's a powerful experience full of symbolism and vivid colors during a time when the skies turn cloudy and the chill begins to set into the North. You an walk around the Mexican neighborhoods in New York or Chicago and see the brightly colored sugar skulls in the windows, the Mexican and Latin American equivilant to our pumpkins. Death is part of Latino culture. And once you've moved past the macobb (did I spell that right)?), you find how wonderful a holiday is today, Cathollic or not Catholic. It's not full of candy, of commercialism on display down the parade route, of chances to go out and party. Instead, it's time to remember your loved ones, to celebrate that they are now in the great kingdom (wherever that is depending on your faith), and to pay respects in hope that your prayers will be heard, and that maybe they'll put a good word in for you at the head office.
So, take a few moments to remember all the loved ones who have walked ahead, and maybe make a little ofrenda of your own for this month. I bet thanksgiving day will mean that much more when you move the Ofrenda out of the way to make room for the Turkey and sweet Potato pie.
# posted by Tony : 9:49 AM
