There are many names used for tomorrow – traditionally a holiday to celebrate the eve of a holy day, that of All Saint’s Day on November 1st.  The kids learned in their Sacred Arts class this week that the word Halloween is derived from holy evening. 

Of course, we have all sorts of various groups who claim Halloween as their own – Day of the Dead is celebrated in the Hispanic culture, pagans claim it as their special day to rise above the religious, fall festivals by some denominations who claim the holiday itself is satanic…and then the old-world Irish and Celts mark it as the difference between the “light” months (spring & summer) and the “dark” months (fall & winter).

In our house, Halloween is first celebrated as being Reformation Day, and my hubster was very pleased to see that our praise team (during the second, blended service) held up the traditional hymn last Sunday that is known throughout the Lutheran world as the one sung for the reformation – A Mighty Fortress is Our God.  It’s always funny when one of “his” traditional hymns comes up on the screen at church, because the kids think he somehow had something to do with it.  hehe

In light of all of that, we’ll be celebrating a lot this weekend.  Today, I’ll go help DD#3’s third-grade class with their party by bringing a healthy fruit tray (filled with RED fruit) and assisting in their craft project.  Tomorrow, we’ll say special prayers of thanks as we mark Reformation day.  Tomorrow night, we’ll take the kids to town for a trunk-or-treat at a local church, and then on to some houses for some serious trick-or-treating.  Then on Sunday, we’ll celebrate All Saint’s Day in church, with recognition to those who have passed on to their just reward this past year.

And I’ll enjoy every bit of it – because the joy that will be found on my children’s faces makes it all worthwhile.