Pope Gregory III

So, um, we're gonna fast forward a little bit to, um, we're gonna talk about All Hallows' Eve.

Many of us know it as Halloween, and this actually, in Italy, it goes back to, um, about the eighth and ninth century when Pope Gregory III, he built or he designated and dedicated one of the chapels in, um, in St. Peter's towards the Christian martyrs, um, those that had been, been tortured and martyred in the name of Christ.

So Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in their memory, and on November 1st they have a feast.

Um, and many of us know that as, um, All Saints' Day and the Feast of All Saints.

However, what they did do is it begins on All Hallows' Eve, on October 31st, where they spend the evenings, um, dedicating vespers and prayers to those that have lost.

And, um, so they've dedicated this time actually to international days of prayer, uh, for the persecuted church.

So this is how it started way back in the ninth century.

And, um, like I said, Pope Gregory III dedicated this chapel, and this time of honor goes through November 2nd.

Mm-hmm.

Now, in, uh, in s- the debate, or is kind of with regards to the date between 1731 and 1741, Pope Gregory III dedicated November 1st to be the celebration of all of the martyred saints.

And since a lot of holidays would start at nightfall the day prior, that was considered All Hallows' Eve, and then you blend all that together, that's where we get All H- or that's where we get Halloween.

And of course-

That's insane.

And the Christianity, as some people call it, the Christianity influence, and it's not Christian, it was Catholic, was from Pope Gregory III.

And Pope Gregory III...

Pope Gregory III lived between 690 and 741, where between February 11th, 731 to 741, he was active in the church.

He declared that All Saints Day, which is November 1st, replaced a pagan event alongside with all souls day which was november 2nd

and

They felt that the natural world w- was connected to the spiritual world, and so the festival was born, Samhain.

Pope Gregory III redubbed the Celtic practice and baptized it into the church, calling it All Saints Day, which began with Hallows' Eve.

According to the pope and priests, there was a time for the church to pray for the souls that were dead, loved ones that could not make it to heaven because they were stuck in purgatory and needed to be forgiven and cleansed.

And so they prayed for their forgiveness.

Pomona's symbol was the apple, which is likely where the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples comes from.

Several centuries later, in 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV created the Catholic Feast of All Martyrs Day, which was later expanded by Pope Gregory III to include all saints.

In 1000 AD, the church made November 2nd All Souls Day as a day to honor the dead.

This holiday, much like Samhain, was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and costumes.

In about 700, Pope Boniface created All Saints Day in the Catholic Church, but it was originally celebrated on May 13th.

And in 900, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day to November 1st in an attempt for it to counterpoint Samhain.

And so that evening, before All Saints Day, on October 31st, became known as All Hallows' Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, and it's from that that we get the term Halloween, meaning basically Hallows' Eve.

And so this is a night to commune with your loved ones across the veil.

But something interesting happened.

If we fast forward a couple of centuries, a number of centuries, and around about the 8th century, it is said by historians that Pope Gregory III established All Saints Day on November the 1st.

with All Hallows' Eve on October the 31st, where there was a night vigil to honor the saints and to pray for departed souls.

So essentially, Halloween was Christianized, in a sense.

so the roman influence comes in when the roman empire conquered most of celtic territory in 43 a.d two roman festivals were combined with the sowing four centuries of rule all right the a day in the late october where romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead pomona a day honoring pomona the roman goddess of fruit and trees pomona's symbol was the apple which likely explains the origin of bobbing for apples That was freaky.

Christian transformation, All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day in 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV established All Martyrs Day, which Pope Gregory III later expanded into All Saints and Martyrs, moving the observance to November 1.

The etymology, November 1 became All Saints Day or All Hallows.

From Old English, heilig, meaning holy, the night before, October 31st, became All Hallows' Eve, which eventually was shortened into Halloween.