P. Franz Xaver Weiser SJ hat geschrieben:CHAPTER 26: ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS
FEAST OF ALL SAINTS
ALL MARTYRS--The Church of Antioch kept a commemoration of all holy
martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Saint John Chrysostom, who
served as preacher at Antioch before he became patriarch of
Constantinople, delivered annual sermons on the occasion of this
festival. They were entitled "Praise of All the Holy Martyrs of the
Entire World."[1] In the course of the succeeding centuries the feast
spread through the whole Eastern Church and, by the seventh century,
was everywhere kept as a public holyday.
In the West the Feast of All Holy Martyrs was introduced when Pope
Boniface IV (615) was given the ancient Roman temple of the Pantheon by
Emperor Phocas (610) and dedicated it as a church to the Blessed Virgin
Mary and all the martyrs. The date of this dedication was May 13, and
on this date the feast was then annually held in Rome.[2] Two hundred
years later Pope Gregory IV (844) transferred the celebration to
November 1. The reason for this transfer is quite interesting,
especially since some scholars have claimed that the Church assigned
All Saints to November 1 in order to substitute a feast of Christian
significance for the pagan Germanic celebrations of the demon cult at
that time of the year.[3] Actually, the reason for the transfer was that
the many pilgrims who came to Rome for the Feast of the Pantheon could
be fed more easily after the harvest than in the spring.[4]
ALL SAINTS--Meanwhile, the practice had spread of including in this
memorial not only all martyrs, but the other saints as well. Pope
Gregory III (741) had already stated this when he dedicated a chapel in
St. Peter's in honor of Christ, Mary, and "all the apostles, martyrs,
confessors, and all the just and perfect servants of God whose bodies
rest throughout the whole world."[5]
Upon the request of Pope Gregory IV, Emperor Louis the Pious (840)
introduced the Feast of All Saints in his territories. With the consent
of the bishops of Germany and France he ordered it to be kept on
November 1 in the whole Carolingian empire.[6] Finally, Pope Sixtus IV
(1484) established it as a holyday of obligation for the entire Latin
Church, giving it a liturgical vigil and octave.[7] The octave was
discontinued in 1955.
The purpose of the feast is twofold. As the prayer of the Mass states,
"the merits of all the saints are venerated in common by this one
celebration," because a very large number of martyrs and other saints
could not be accorded the honor of a special festival since the days of
the year would not suffice for all these individual celebrations. The
second purpose was given by Pope Urban IV: Any negligence, omission,
and irreverence committed in the celebration of the saints' feasts
throughout the year is to be atoned for by the faithful, and thus due
honor may still be offered to these saints.[8]
LITURGICAL PRAYER--Almighty and eternal God, who hast granted us to
venerate the merits of all Thy saints in one celebration: we beg Thee
to bestow upon us the desired abundance of Thy mercy on account of this
great number of intercessors.
COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
HISTORY--The need and duty of prayer for the departed souls has been
acknowledged by the Church at all times. It is recommended in the
Scriptures of the Old Testament (2 Machabees 12, 46), and found
expression not only in public and private prayers, but especially in
the offering of the Holy Sacrifice for the repose of souls. The
customary dates for public services of this kind were, and still are,
the day of death and burial, the seventh and thirtieth day after death
(Month's Mind Mass), and the anniversary. Except for the funeral Mass,
the actual observance of these dates is not made obligatory by the
Church but left to the piety of relatives and friends of the deceased.[9]
The memorial feast of all departed ones in a common celebration was
inaugurated by Abbot Saint Odilo of Cluny (1048). He issued a decree
that all monasteries of the congregation of Cluny were annually to keep
November 2 as a "day of all the departed ones" ("Omnium Defunctorum").
On November 1, after Vespers, the bell should be tolled and afterward
the Office of the Dead be recited; on the next day all priests had to
say Mass for the repose of the souls in purgatory.[10]
This observance of the Benedictines of Cluny was soon adopted by other
Benedictines, and by the Carthusians. Pope Sylvester II (1003) approved
and recommended it. It was some time, though, before the secular clergy
introduced it in the various dioceses. From the eleventh to the
fourteenth centuries it gradually spread in France, Germany, England,
and Spain, until finally, in the fourteenth century, Rome placed the
day of the commemoration of all the faithful departed in the official
books of the Western Church for November 2 (or November 3 if the second
falls on a Sunday).[11]
November 2 was chosen in order that the memory of all the "holy
spirits" both of the saints in Heaven and of the souls in purgatory
should be celebrated on two successive days, and in this way to express
the Christian belief in the "Communion of Saints." Since the Feast of
All Saints had already been celebrated on November 1 for centuries, the
memory of the departed souls in purgatory was placed on the following
day.[12]
LITURGY--In the Byzantine Rite the commemoration of all the faithful
departed is held on the Saturday before Sexagesima Sunday, and is
called the "Saturday of the Souls" ("Psychosabbaton").[13] The Armenians
celebrate it on Easter Monday, with the solemn Office of the Dead.[14]
The Mass, however, is that of the Resurrection. An interesting and
moving observance is held in the Syrian-Antiochene Rite, where they
celebrate on three separate days: on Friday before Septuagesima they
commemorate all departed priests; on Friday before Sexagesima, all the
faithful departed; and on Friday before Quinquagesima, "all those who
died in strange places, away from their parents and friends."[15]
Pope Benedict XV in 1915 allowed all priests to say three Masses on All
Souls' Day in order to give increased help to the suffering souls in
purgatory.[16] The Church has also granted to all faithful special
privileges of gaining indulgences for the holy souls on November 1 and
2. The Office of the Dead is recited by priests and religious
communities. In many places the graves in the cemeteries are blessed on
the eve or in the morning of All Souls' Day, and a solemn service is
usually held in parish churches.
The liturgical color at all services on November 2 is black. The Masses
are part of the group called "Requiem" Masses because they start with
the words "Requiem aeternam dona eis" (Eternal rest grant unto them).[17]
The sequence sung at the solemn Mass on All Souls' Day (and on other
occasions) is the famous poem "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath) written by a
thirteenth-century Franciscan.[18] It has often been ascribed to Thomas
of Celano (1250), the friend and biographer of Saint Francis of Assisi,
though the authorship is not certain.
FOLKLORE
RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS--The custom of decorating graves and praying in
cemeteries is general in all Catholic countries, both in Europe and
America.[19] On the afternoon of All Saints' Day or in the morning of All
Souls the faithful visit each individual grave of relatives and
friends. Sometimes the congregation, led by the priest, walks in
procession to the cemetery. There they pray for all the holy souls in
front of the cemetery chapel, then the priest recites the liturgical
prayers for the dead and blesses the graves with holy water. Afterward
the families separate to offer private prayers at the graves of their
loved ones.
During the week preceding All Saints crowds of people may be seen in
the cemeteries, usually in the evening after work, decorating the
graves of their dear ones with flowers, tending the lawn, and spreading
fresh white gravel around the tombs. Candles, protected by little glass
lanterns, are placed around the graves or at the foot of the
tombstones, to be lighted on All Saints' eve and left burning through
the night. It is an impressive, unforgettable sight to look upon the
hundreds and often thousands of lights quietly burning in the darkness
and dreary solitude of a cemetery. People call them "lights of the holy
souls" ("Seelenlichter").[20]
To visit the graves of dear ones on All Souls is considered a duty of
such import that many people in Europe will travel from a great
distance to their home towns on All Saints' Day in order to perform
this obligation of love and piety.
It is an ancient custom in Catholic sections of central Europe to ring
the church bells at the approach of dusk on All Saints' Day, to remind
the people to pray for the souls in purgatory. When the pealing of
these bells is heard, families gather in one room of their home,
extinguish all other lights save the blessed candle (kept from
Candlemas Day), which is put on the table.[21]
In the rural sections of Brittany four men alternate in tolling the
church bell for an hour on All Saints' Day after dark. Four other men
go from farm to farm during the night, ringing hand bells and chanting
at each place: "Christians awake, pray to God for the souls of the
dead, and say the "Pater" and "Ave" for them." From the house comes the
reply "Amen" as the people rise for prayer.
In most countries of South America All Souls' Day is a public holiday.
In Brazil people flock by the thousands to the cemeteries all morning,
light candles and kneel at the graves in prayer. The deep silence of so
many persons in the crowded cemetery deeply impresses the stranger. In
Puerto Rico, people will walk for miles to the graves of their loved
ones. The women often carry vases of flowers and water, for they know
they can get no water at the cemetery to keep the flowers fresh. They
wear their best clothes as they trudge along in the hot sun. Whole
truckloads of people will arrive at the cemetery if the distance is too
far to walk. The priest visits each grave and says the prayers for the
dead as the mourners walk along with him. Sometimes the ceremony lasts
for hours and it is near midnight when the tired pastor visits the last
graves.
Among the native populations in the Philippines, a novena is held for
the holy souls before November 2. In places where the cemetery is close
to the town, candles are brought to be burned at the tombs and prayers
are said every night. During these nine days the people also prepare
their family tombs for the great Feast of the Souls. Tomb niches and
crosses are repainted, hedges trimmed, flowers planted, and all weeds
are removed from the graves. On the evening of All Saints' Day young
men go from door to door asking for gifts in the form of cookies,
candy, and pastry, and they sing a traditional verse in which they
represent holy souls liberated from purgatory and on their way to
Heaven.
In Poland, and in Polish churches of the United States, the faithful
bring to their parish priest on All Souls' Day paper sheets with black
borders called "Wypominki" (Naming) on which are written the names of
their beloved dead. During the evening devotions in November, and on
Sundays, the names are read from the pulpit and prayers are offered for
the repose of the souls.
The Church has not established any season or octave in connection with
All Souls. The faithful, however, have introduced an "octave" of their
own, devoting the eight days after All Souls to special prayer,
penance, and acts of charity. This custom is widespread in central
Europe. People call this particular time of the year "Soul Nights"
("Seelennachte"). Every evening the rosary is said for the holy souls
within the family while the blessed candle burns. Many go to Mass every
morning. A generous portion of the meal is given to the poor each day;
and the faithful abstain from dances and other public amusements out of
respect for the holy souls. This is a deeply religious practice filled
with a genuine spirit of Christian charity which overshadows and
elevates the unholy customs of ancient pagan lore.[22]
PRE-CHRISTIAN ELEMENTS--Our pagan forefathers kept several "cult of the
dead" rites at various times of the year. One of these periods was the
great celebration at the end of the fall and the beginning of winter
(around November 1). Together with the practices of nature and demon
lore (fires, masquerades, fertility cults) they also observed the
ritual of the dead with many traditional rites. Since All Saints and
All Souls happened to be placed within the period of such an ancient
festival, some of the pre-Christian traditions became part of our
Christian feast and associated with Christian ideas.[23]
There is, for instance, the pre-Christian practice of putting food at
the graves or in the homes at such times of the year when the spirits
of the dead were believed to roam their familiar earthly places. The
beginning of November was one of these times. By offering a meal or
some token food to the spirits, people hoped to please them and to
avert any possible harm they could do. Hence came the custom of baking
special breads in honor of the holy souls and bestowing them on the
children and the poor. This custom is widespread in Europe. "All Souls'
bread" ("Seelenbrot") is made and distributed in Germany, Belgium,
France, Austria, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and in the Slavic countries.[24]
In some sections of central Europe boys receive on All Souls' Day a
cake shaped in the form of a hare, and girls are given one in the shape
of a hen (an interesting combination of "spirit bread" and fertility
symbols). These figure cakes are baked of the same dough as the festive
cakes that the people eat on All Saints' Day and which are a favorite
dish all over central Europe. They are made of braided strands of sweet
dough and called "All Saints' cakes" ("Heiligenstriezel" in German,
"Strucel Swiateczne" in Polish, "Mindszenti Kalacska" in Hungarian).[25]
In western Europe people prepare on All Souls' Day a meal of cooked
beans or peas or lentils, called "soul food," which they afterward
serve to the poor together with meat and other dishes. In Poland the
farmers hold a solemn meal on the evening of All Souls' Day, with empty
seats and plates ready for the "souls" of departed relatives. Onto the
plates members of the family put parts of the dinner. These portions
are not touched by anyone, but afterward are given to beggars or poor
neighbors.[26] In the Alpine provinces of Austria destitute children and
beggars go from house to house, reciting a prayer or singing a hymn for
the holy souls, receiving small loaves of the "soul bread" in reward.
There, too, people put aside a part of everything that is cooked on All
Souls' Day and give meals to the poor.[27] In northern Spain and in
Madrid people distribute and eat a special pastry called "Bones of the
Holy" ("Huesos de Santo"). In Catalonia All Souls' pastry is called
"Panellets" (little breads).
In Hungary the "Day of the Dead" ("Halottak Napja") is kept with the
traditional customs common to all people in central Europe. In
addition, they invite orphan children into the family for All Saints'
and All Souls' days, serving them generous meals and giving them new
clothes and toys.
In Brittany the farmers visit the graves of their departed relatives on
"Jour des morts" (Day of the Dead), kneeling bareheaded at the mound in
long and fervent prayer. Then they sprinkle the grave with holy water,
and finally, before leaving, pour milk over the grave as a libation
"for the holy souls." In every house a generous portion of the dinner
is served before an empty seat and afterward given to the hungry.
LEGENDS--Many other customs of the ancient cult of the dead have
survived as superstitions to this day. The belief that the spirits of
the dead return for All Souls' Day is expressed in a great number of
legends and traditions. In the rural sections of Poland the charming
story is told that at midnight on All Souls' Day a great light may be
seen in the parish church; the holy souls of all departed parishioners
who are still in purgatory gather there to pray for their release
before the very altar where they used to receive the Blessed Sacrament
when still alive. Afterward the souls are said to visit the scenes of
their earthly life and labors, especially their homes. To welcome them
by an external sign the people leave doors and windows open on All
Souls' Day.[28]
In the rural sections of Austria the holy souls are said to wander
through the forests on All Souls' Day, sighing and praying for their
release, but unable to reach the living by external means that would
indicate their presence.[29] For this reason, the children are told to
pray aloud while going through the open spaces to church and cemetery,
so the poor souls will have the great consolation of seeing that their
invisible presence is known and their pitiful cries for help are
understood and answered.
LITURGICAL PRAYER--O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their
sins, that through our devout prayers they may obtain the pardon which
they have always desired.
HALLOWEEN
DRUIDIC ELEMENT--Unlike the familiar observance of All Souls, Halloween
traditions have never been connected with Christian religious
celebrations of any kind. Although the name is taken from a great
Christian feast (Allhallows' Eve), it has nothing in common with the
Feast of All Saints, and is, instead, a tradition of pre-Christian
times that has retained its original character in form and meaning.
Halloween customs are traced back to the ancient Druids. This is
attested to by the fact that they are still observed only in those
sections of Europe where the population is wholly or partly of Celtic
stock. In ancient times, around November 1 the burning of fires marked
the beginning of winter. Such Halloween fires are kindled in many
places even now, especially in Wales and Scotland.[30]
Another, and more important, tradition is the Druidic belief that
during the night of November 1 demons, witches, and evil spirits roamed
the earth in wild and furious gambols of joy to greet the arrival of
"their season"--the long nights and early dark of the winter months.
They had their fun with the poor mortals that night, frightening,
harming them, and playing all kinds of mean tricks.[31] The only way, it
seemed, for scared humans to escape the persecution of the demons was
to offer them things they liked, especially dainty food and sweets. Or,
in order to escape the fury of these horrible creatures, a human could
disguise himself as one of them and join in their roaming. In this way
they would take him for one of their own and he would not be bothered.
That is what people did in ancient times, and it is in this very form
the custom has come down to us, practically unaltered, as our familiar
Halloween celebration: the horrible masks of demons and witches, the
disguise in strange and unusual gowns, the ghost figures, the
frightening gestures and words, the roaming through the streets at
night, the pranks played, and finally the threatening demand of a
"trick or treat." The pumpkin "ghosts" or jack-o'-lanterns with a
burning candle inside may well be a combination of the demon element
and the Halloween fire. These pumpkins are found all over central
Europe at Halloween, in France, southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
and the Slavic countries. So is the custom of masquerading and "trick
or treat" rhymes, at least in the rural sections where ancient
traditions are still observed.[32]
ROMAN ELEMENT--In those countries that once belonged to the Roman
Empire there is the custom of eating or giving away fruit, especially
apples, on Halloween. It spread to neighboring countries: to Ireland
and Scotland from Britain, and to the Slavic countries from Austria. It
is probably based upon a celebration of the Roman goddess Pomona, to
whom gardens and orchards were dedicated. Since the annual Feast of
Pomona was held on November 1, the relics of that observance became
part of our Halloween celebration, for instance the familiar tradition
of "ducking" for apples.[33]
ENDNOTES
1. PG, 1, 706 ff.
2. DACL, 15.1 (1950), 438.
3. Frazer, 633.
4. Beleth, "Rationale divin. offic.," 127; PL, 202, 133.
5. LP, I, 417.
6. "S. Adons Martyrol., Nov. 1"; PL, 123, 387.
7. Kellner, 326.
8. "Decr. Si Dominum"; Nilles, I, 313 (Latin text).
9. DACL, 12.1 (1935), 27 ff.
10. "Statutum S. Odilonis pro Defunctis"; PL, 142, 1038.
11. H. Leclercq, "La Fete des Mortes," DACL, 12.1 (1935), 34 ff.
12. DACL, 4.1 (1920), 427 ff.
13. Nilles, II, 90 ff.
14. Nilles, II, 561.
15. Nilles, II, 643.
16. C. A. Kneller, "Geschichtliches uber die drei Messen am
Allerseelentag," ZKTh, 42 (1918), 74 ff.
17. DACL, 12.1 (1935), 31 ff.
18. HRL, 252 f. (excellent commentary on author and poem).
19. H. Leclercq, "Fleurs pour les defuncts," DACL, 5.2 (1923), 1693 ff.
20. M. Kollofrath, "Das Seelenlicht. Eine volkskundliche Studie," in
"Kolmsche Volkszeitung," November 2, 1937; VL, 169.
21. Geramb, 181; Benet, 84.
22. Koren, 174; Geramb, 180.
23. Frazer, 632 ff.
24. Gugitz, II, 157 f.; ES, 15 ("Soul Cake").
25. Gugitz, II, 154 ff. ("Der Allerheiligenstriezel"); Koren, 175;
Geramb, 180 f.
26. Benet, 84 f.
27. Geramb, 190 f.
28. Benet, 84 f.; VL, 169 f.
29. Koren, 175 f.; ES, 15.
30. Frazer, 632 ff. ("Halloween Fires").
31. Gugitz, II, 158; Frazer, 634 f.
32. ES, 140; Chambers, II, 228 f.
33. W. Ehlers, "Pomona," PW, 21, 1876 ff.