I have noticed in the last few years an uptick in Christians becoming adamantly anti-Halloween, but I think this is an oversight to the rich traditions and Catholic culture that are the foundation to Halloween.

Many believe that Halloween is based on the practices of early pagans celebrating the new year. This may be true, but in true Christian fashion the Catholic Church found a way to bring it back to Christ. 

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Catholic Halloween 

I believe that changing the culture of Halloween and making it more Christian would be a step in the right direction. Here are a few ideas of having your very own Catholic Halloween.

1. Go to Mass.

Nothing will make Halloween or any other day more Catholic or more holy than going to Mass and spending that time with Christ. 

2. Don’t dress in costumes of the demonic.  

Evil is real. It can be seen every day. There is no reason to sink down to evil’s level. Leave the witches, demons, devils, serial killers, etc. alone.  

3. Dress as a Saint or a hero.  

Let us uplift our neighbors. Dress as a Saint and when your neighbor asks who you are you will be catechizing them and spreading your Faith. Make sure you know interesting facts about them that will impress anyone who asks.  

Catholic All Year has a huge variety of Catholic Saint ideas that you should definitely check out. Also, remember that Biblical heroes are great people to dress up as and emulate too.

Here are a few great kid saint costumes if you would rather buy than sew: Mother Mary, St. Joseph, St. Clare, St. Pope Pius X, St. Francis or St. Anthony and St. Don Bosco.

4. Bless the candy 

When you bring the candy home make sure that pray over it in thanksgiving. My sister has this great tradition that she does with her children. For every piece of candy that they eat, they must say a prayer for either a deceased loved one, family member, or a holy soul in Purgatory. Here is a great prayer to say for the souls in Purgatory.

“Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all the sinners everywhere, for sinner in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.” -St. Gertrude’s Prayer for the Holy Souls

A nice short one is, “Eternal rest grant unto them oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in Peace. Amen”

5. Carve your pumpkins with Catholic symbols instead of scary faces. 

Remember that Jack-o’-lanterns bring light into the darkness just as we should as Catholics following in Christ’s example of goodness and light. It can also be a symbol for our children. We take out all of the slimy gross parts of the pumpkin, make it nice and clean for a candle to bit lit and to shine a path to great reward, just Christ does for us.

Catholic Icing has a great post on how to make an easy Rosary Pumpkin. But you also could carve crosses, the Marian symbol, Christ’s symbol as well. These can be great conversation starters as well.  

Catholic Cuisine also has amazing examples of carvings one can do. 

If you don’t want to carve your pumpkin, you can also paint them with Catholic symbols as well. 

6. Visit a cemetery and pray for the souls of those departed. 

As Catholics we will be praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory again on All Soul’s Day, November 2nd, but the souls in purgatory can use prayers any time. This would be a great opportunity to incorporate it into your festivities.

7. Ask to pray for a departed loved one each time you are given a piece of candy and then again, each time you eat one as well.  

This suggestion was made by my sister and it makes great sense. In the 8th century, Christians would go door-to-door begging for soul cakes. These were shortbreads given only to those promising to say a prayer for the departed souls of the household. It is a beautiful custom and should definitely be brought back. We did this last year. We went up to the door and asked if there were any loved ones we could pray for in exchange for candy. Our neighbors loved this.

8. Decorate with a yard sign that says, “The Only Ghost that Lives Here is the Holy Ghost” 

I love this idea and will most likely be buying one for my yard. You can order one here from Amazon or if you’re crafty you can make one yourself. 

9. Play music at your home that reminds people of death and their own mortality when they come around asking for treats.

Play songs such as: the Dies Irae, the De Pro Fundis (this was typically sung at the end of All Hallow’s Eve in Brittany in the 8th century), Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, or Requiem Aeternam. 

10. Give your kids some Candy Corn and a lesson in the Holy Trinity.

Teaching with TLC: Using candy corn to teach the Trinity Explains this whole activity on her website.

 

Bonus: Throw an All Saints Day Party on November 1st.

All Saints Day parties are the best. When our school throws an All Saints Day party is usually includes:

• everyone dressing up as their favorite saint (some are super elaborate)
• a costume contest
• themed carnival-like games (i.e. Fishing with St. Peter)
• Guess My Saint with 3 hints
• Soul bags (each child gets a bag with the souls of loved ones on them that they use when they go trunk or treating)
• Trunk or Treating (fun, but not in the snow… Upstate New York problems)
• Yummy treats!

 

If you would like to learn more about the origins of Halloween and how it was adopted by the Catholic Church. Mary Reed Newland in her Book “The Year and our Children” dedicated an entire chapter to it. 

There are many ways that we can have a very Catholic Halloween while still enjoying the company of our neighbors. I believe all we need to do is show them the good time we can have while being Faith-filled and uplifting. I hope this list helps you find ways to celebrate All Hallows Eve. If you think of other activities or ideas to make it even more Catholic, leave a comment below.