These were usually local festivals, though the martyrdom of some of the apostles were more widely celebrated. Pope Gregory III (731-741AD) decided to have one day a year in the church calendar to celebrate all the martyrs or saints, instead of lots of different regional saint's days, and this was set as the 1st of November, and known as the "Feast of All Saints" or "All Saint's Day" or "All Hallows Day" ("hallow" is an old English word for saint or holy person).

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

Meanwhile, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in 30AD, the "new" controversial religion, Christianity, spread to Asia Minor, Greece and to Rome, and so through the Roman Empire, largely as a result of persecuted Christians having to flee Jerusalem. As Christians were killed for preaching about Jesus and standing up for their beliefs, those surviving chose to commemorate the death of these martyrs or saints by celebrating "martyrs days" or "saints days".

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

They also left out treats, like cakes, as a peace offering. When the Romans came to Britain (successfully in 43AD after failed attempts in 55BC and 54BC) they added the traditions of their own harvest festival, "Pomona", to Samhain, such as bobbing for apples in water barrels and putting nuts in the fire to watch where they jump to.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

The Druids (Celtic priests) also believed that on this day (exactly between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice) the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken, allowing demons, witches and lost souls to harass the living and play tricks on them. People tried to protect themselves from attack by disguising themselves as witches, devils and ghosts, and carved grotesque faces in things like pumpkins, which they kept illuminated by candlelight, to ward off evil spirits.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

What About Halloween?

Halloween was originally called "Samhain" -a Gaelic word pronounced "sow-in" (in Ireland), or "sow-een" (in Wales), or "sav-en" (in Scotland) - meaning "summer's end." The Celtic culture had established itself throughout the British Isles from approx. 600 BC to 50 AD, and Samhain was an ancient Celtic type of harvest festival, marking the beginning of winter and the first day of the Celtic new year, celebrated on the evening of the 31st of October.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

Back to 18 to 30s / UK Students Page

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

If you already have ideas about what you’d like the group to do, or where or when it could meet, you can include that info in the message box.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.