Mama Mondays- Preparing for Halloween

I remember the days when the Christian world around me would buzz, buzz, buzz over the Halloween question for weeks on end. Starting in September and stopping around thanksgiving, we would have to determine whether we could, whether we should, and how we should participate in the halloween madness.

Having discovered first hand while trick-or-treating with my dutiful French mother (who had never heard of halloween and thought it was nuts, I'm sure, but tried to go along with the program) that there are complete nutballs out there who I'm better off keeping my kids away from.... I'm not big on trick or treating. At the same time, I'm frequently working in the paranormal field.... so it's kinda my favorite time of year-- the only time of year when people don't look at me like I'm from mars when I want to talk about ghosts.

Becoming a Catholic made that question (and pretty much every other question evangelical Christians fret over) much easier to cope with because we saw and understood how great God really is! Since Halloween IS OURS.... a Catholic time to focus on the departed saints and holy souls in purgatory.... why let the world have all the fun?

Taking the focus off of ghosts and witches and putting it on Christ and His Church has made all the difference for us. Now there is a rhythm to our late October choices and a powerful message and proclamation of the Gospel going on around us that doesn't have to include gimmicks, alternatives, or "taking back the night" even though we are. :P

You see, for Catholics, it's so simple. This article from Catholic Culture explains it well: 

"The Solemnity of All Saints is celebrated on November 1. It is a Solemnity, a holyday of obligation, and it is the day that the Church honors all of God's saints, even those who have not been canonized by the Church. It is a family day of celebration—we celebrate the memory of those family members (sharing with us in the Mystical Body, the communion of saints) now sharing eternal happiness in the presence of God. We rejoice that they have reached their eternal goal and ask their prayers on our behalf so that we, too, may join them in heaven and praise God through all eternity.
The honoring of all Christian martyrs of the Faith was originally celebrated on May 13, the date established by the fourth century. Pope Boniface IV in 615 established it as the "Feast of All Martyrs" commemorating the dedication of the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple, into a Christian church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the martyrs. In 844, Pope Gregory IV transferred the feast to November 1st. Some scholars believe this was to substitute a feast for the pagan celebrations during that time of year.
By 741, the feast included not only martyrs, but all the saints in heaven as well, with the title changing to "Feast of All Saints" by 840. Pope Sixtus IV in 1484 established November 1 as a holyday of obligation and gave it both a vigil (known today as "All Hallows' Eve" or "Hallowe'en") and an eight-day period or octave to celebrate the feast. By 1955, the octave of All Saints was removed.
Since Vatican II, some liturgical observances have been altered, one example being "fast before the feast" is no longer required. The Church recognizes Solemnities and Sundays as high feast days that last longer than a day. The celebration starts the evening before, as mentioned in The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar: "Solemnities are counted as the principal days in the calendar and their observance begins with evening prayer of the preceding day. Some also have their own vigil Mass for use when Mass is celebrated in the evening of the preceding day. The celebration of Easter and Christmas, the two greatest solemnities, continues for eight days, with each octave governed by its own rules." In the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, these days are marked by Evening Prayer I (the evening before) and Evening Prayer II (the evening of the solemnity).
In England, saints or holy people are called "hallowed", hence the name "All Hallow's Day". The evening, or "e'en" before the feast became popularly known as "All Hallows' Eve" or even shorter, "Hallowe'en".
Many recipes and traditions have come down for this evening, "All Hallows Eve" (now known as Hallowe'en), such as pancakes, boxty bread and boxty pancakes, barmbrack (Irish fruit bread with hidden charms), colcannon (combination of cabbage and boiled potatoes). This was also known as "Nutcrack Night" in England, where the family gathered around the hearth to enjoy cider and nuts and apples.
November 2 was the date designated to pray for all the departed souls in Purgatory, the Feast of All Souls. The feasts of All Saints and All Souls fall back to back to express the Christian belief of the "Communion of Saints." The Communion of Saints is the union of all the faithful on earth (the Church militant), the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and the Poor Souls in Purgatory (the Church suffering), with Christ as the Head. They are bound together by a supernatural bond, and can help one another. The Church Militant (those on earth still engaged in the struggle to save their souls) can venerate the Church Triumphant, and those saints can intercede with God for those still on earth. Both the faithful on earth and the saints in heaven can pray for the souls in Purgatory. During these two days we see the Communion of Saints really in action!
Throughout the centuries man has struggled to keep his focus on the one true Faith and its practices. So many times, though, the pagan superstitions creep back into practice. Although now with a holier purpose, when preparing for the huge feast of All Saints some pagan "cult of the dead" practices seeped into the mainstream. See excerpts from Florence Berger'sCooking for Christ to see read more of the historic origin of Halloween practices, particularly in the British Isles."

So what do Catholics do? First, they party. How? By dressing up like saints. :)

There's nothing quite like the sight of dozens of miniature saints running around. Party ideas that revolve around the theme of the communion of saints takes the focus off the paganism and occultism that is rampant around Halloween. The kids dress up like heroes of the faith instead of creeps. And at the same time they learn the true creepiness of satan and the anti-Christ Spirit. Some choose to be saints who were martyred, telling the creepy tales of how it occured through their costumes and games. Themed activities and games round out the events, like cakes with holy cards bearing saints' images stuck into the slices like gravestones, or  guessing games to determine who is who.  This solidifies in their minds that the saints both existed as REAL people and also that they ARE still up there, praying for us and interceding before the throne for us. It's also vastly important to me that they become familiar with these friends in heaven and the rich history of their Church.

The following day, All SOULS day, is dedicated to prayer for the souls who have passed on. In parishes, we bring framed pictures of loved ones who have died to hang up on a display and remember and pray for... a wonderful practice that keeps them "part of the family" with us.
As mentioned above, all souls day is also a good day for a party to remind the children to pray for the holy souls in purgatory. (For information about why YOU should believe that purgatory matters, you can read my blog here and this apologetics statement about the doctrine here.)

The next day, on all souls' day, the Bishop in our diocese says mass in the cemetery of a very special little Church in the area, one which has a powerful spiritual history. It is dark, but also beautiful and full of heaven. Our family has always gone to this mass, which is held IN the graveyard and consequentially holds a beautiful lesson for the children. Because it's far awayish, it makes a great "field trip" and we use the opportunity to teach valuable pro-life lessons (since people here have gathered the remains of hundreds of aborted babies and given them a proper burial) as well as helping my kids to get a handle on the "ghost question" and understanding the value of praying for our loved ones and for others who have passed on. My kids have a mommy who has lost at least a friend a year since she turned twelve. It's very important to me that they be familiar with the significance of the experience of death and that they order their lives around the fact that they will one day die too... and face judgement.

Some traditional recipe ideas from the article above included below:

Soul Cakes 

The following recipe is an adaptation of an old Shropshire formula. The light fluffy buns, delicious for any occasion, are especially appropriate for Halloween. Serve them hot, with plenty of butter and strawberry or raspberry jam. Accompany them with mugs of cider; or with hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows, for the young; or with coffee or tea for those who are older.


6 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg white, slightly beaten


Cream shortening and sugar. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water to which a teaspoon of sugar has been added. Set aside. Scald milk and add to the creamed mixture. When cooled add yeast mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Sift together flour, salt, and spice, and add gradually to other ingredients, kneading into a soft dough.



Set sponge to rise in warm place in greased covered bowl. When doubled in bulk, shape into small round or oval buns. Brush tops with slightly beaten egg white. Bake in moderately hot oven (400° F. for 15 minutes. Drop temperature to 350° F. and bake until delicately browned and thoroughly done.



YIELD: 18-24 cakes, according to size.

from Feast-Day Cakes from Many Lands by Dorothy Gladys Spicer, ©1960.


Colcannon


There are several versions of this traditional potato dish (also known as Halloween Champ) which has nourished and comforted Irish people for centuries. So popular is it that poems have been written and songs have been sung in its honor. Serves 8.


2-2 1/2 lbs. "old" potatoes (e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerr's Pinks)
1 small Savoy or spring cabbage (about 1 lb)
1 cup milk

2-3 tablespoons chopped spring onions (scallions)
2 oz or 1/2 stick of butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
Scrub the potatoes and leave the skins on. Put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil.



When the potatoes are about half-cooked (15 minutes or so) strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put on gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked.



Discard the dark outer leaves of the cabbage, wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain. Cook in a little boiling salted water or bacon cooking water until soft. Drain, season with salt, pepper and a little of the butter.



When the potatoes are just cooked, put the milk into a saucepan with the scallions and bring to a boil. Pull the skins off the potatoes, mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in enough of the hot milk to make a fluffy purée. (If you have a large quantity you can do this in a food mix.



Stir in the cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning. Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated later in a 350°F oven. Put in an oven-safe dish and cover with aluminum foil before reheating so that it doesn't get crusty on top. Serve in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the center.



Adapted from The Festive Food of Ireland by Darina Allen ©1992.






Hallowe'en Barmbrack


A traditional fruit bread with hidden charms!


4 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/4 level teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter
3/4 oz. yeast (or 2 teaspoons dried yeast)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups tepid milk
1 egg, beaten

1 cup sultanas
1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup chopped candied peel

Charms
1 pea
1 ring
1 silver coin
1 short piece of matchstick, each wrapped in greaseproof paper.

Glaze
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2-3 tablespoons boiling water


Sift the flour, spices and salt into a bowl, then rub in the butter.

Cream the yeast with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 2 teaspoon of the tepid milk; it should soon bubble slightly.

Pour the remaining tepid milk and the egg into the yeast mixture and combine with the dry ingredients and the sugar. Beat well with the wooden spoon or knead with your hand in the bowl until the batter is stiff but elastic.

Fold in the dried fruit and chopped peel, cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Knead again for another 2-3 minutes and divide between two greased 1 lb. loaf tins.

Add the charms at this stage, making sure they are well-distributed. Cover again and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough comes up the top o the tin. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 1 hour. Test with a skewer before taking out of the oven.

Glaze the top with the sugar dissolved in the boiling water. Turn out to cool on a wire rack and when cold slice into thick slices and butter generously. Barmbrack keeps well, but even when it's stale it is very good toasted and buttered.