The E'en Of All Hallows

Hallow… Holy. The holy ones in Heaven. All of them.
E’en… Evening, the evening before.
Hallow E’en: The evening before All the Holy Saints’ Day.
Halloween: Costume and candy night.

It’s a long way from children going from cottage to cottage in Ireland, dressed as their favorite saints, with lighted turnips, begging for soul cakes –to- children in the USA dressed in pirate costumes or the latest movie characters ringing doorbells and holding out bags for candy. The centuries and the cultures have made big changes.

Has the holiday gone out of hand? Is it a case where the children (and, if they are small enough, their parents) no longer have any idea what it’s about?

Ok, Labor Day. When is the last time you thought about the working class, the people who dig ditches, build bridges and haul the garbage? Nah; it’s just a three-day weekend, the end of summer, a time for picnics. Ask anybody, even those for whom the day was invented, and see what they say. The holiday is long forgotten.

Fourth of July. Can anyone tell the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights? Ask anyone when the D. of I. was actually sent out to the world (July 2, in case you wondered) and how long it took for everyone to sign it (quite a while, and not all at once as you might think). It’s just fireworks and picnics now.