A Reflection for Halloween: From All Hallows’ Eve to Holy Remembrance

All Saints • Hope • Resurrection

Halloween didn’t begin with plastic fangs and pumpkin pails. Long before costumes and candy, there was All Hallows’ Eve—the vigil of All Saints’ Day—when Christians around the world paused to remember the saints, martyrs, and the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. The very word “Halloween” shares its root with “hallowed” and “halo,” echoing holiness. In that echo is an invitation: to see life as sacred, even in a world trembling with wars, atrocities, and grief.

Remembering the Cloud of Witnesses

In many liturgical traditions, the names of saints are recited aloud—an act of remembrance that stretches across centuries. This is not nostalgia; it is an acknowledgment that the dead can inspire the living. We do not glorify death. We honor life. We pause to remember the faces that shaped us, the hands that steadied us, the voices that taught us how to hope.

Laughing at Fear, Standing in Hope

There’s a gentle defiance in Halloween’s playfulness. Laughter amid skulls and shadows is not denial; it’s a protest against fear. It reminds us that death is not the last word. For Christians, the cross and the empty tomb are the blazing signposts: death has lost its sting. In that light, Halloween becomes a rehearsal for courage—a permission slip to face the dark with joy.

The Living Dead—and the Risen Life

Halloween is not really about zombies. But it is about the “living dead” in the truest sense: people who live in the power of resurrection. As Jesus rose, so may we—into lives marked by mercy, gratitude, and stubborn hope. When we bring out old photographs of saints and loved ones, when we tell their stories to our children, we practice resurrection. We remember that love outlives the grave.

Practices for a Hallowed Evening

Create a small shrine of remembrance. Place photos of loved ones, candles, and a simple note of gratitude for each life.
Read a short litany of saints—historic heroes and personal mentors alike.
Share a meal in their honor. Tell one story that still shapes how you live.
Write a letter to someone you miss. Say the unsaid. Let the ink be prayer.
Perform a small act of courage or kindness “in the name of” someone who taught you how to live well.

Hallowed Be This Life

To call this night hallowed is to call life holy. Embrace those you love. Count blessings that outnumber fears. Remember that people rise: from despair to purpose, from bitterness to forgiveness, from apathy to love. And, for those who believe, from death to life.

“Oh death, Thou art dead.”

Happy Halloween.

A Reflection for Halloween: From All Hallows’ Eve to Holy Remembrance