Hey everyone!
It's been a while...Haha... I'm still trying to get used to having a blog!
The past couple weeks I have been processing some crazy information I read. It has been really thought provoking and challenging, especially as a Christian. The book is titled, "Taking Back October" and is written by Beth Vice.
This book sheds some light on October's most popular and well known holiday: Halloween! Growing up, my family celebrated by dressing up, carving pumpkins, playing games, trick-or-treating, and celebrating my brother and grandfather's birthdays! (Yes, we have a couple of Pumpkins in my family :) )
These are all very normal things to do in today's day and age!
But man you guys, this book really stumped me.
It really kinda shook me.
And it really made me think about some things.
Within the book, this Christian woman shares concerns and truths, superstitions and the roots of how Halloween came to be, what it means, and how dark of a day it was initially created to be.
But she also shares ways that we as Christians can work to overcome the dark of the day. In fact, she shares about All Saints Day. It is the day meant to be set aside to honor past Christians. The day for celebrating the saints was originally on May 1, but was moved by Pope Gregory III to try to combat Halloween. So November 1 is now known as All Saints Day while October 31 can be known as All Saints Day Eve.
And I think that in the Rice household, it will become a regular holiday! Beth goes into so many great ideas within her book about how to continue to have fun dressing up, eating food (and candy if you wish!) and being with friends while honoring Christians and giving thanks (almost like a pre-Thanksgiving in my mind!).
Please don't hear what I am saying and become offended or upset. I simply wish I would've known some of the truths shared within Beth Vice's well written compilation of information surrounding a holiday so normalized in today's world. I only wish to share this with any of you who may be interested in learning more about the history and meaning of holidays. :)
So Happy All Saints Day to all of you! And here is a link to her book! :)
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Back-October-Believers-Pursuit/dp/1502516292