{"id":4345,"date":"2009-10-20T08:39:03","date_gmt":"2009-10-20T13:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thankevann.com\/homeschoolgoodies\/?p=4345"},"modified":"2020-09-12T17:15:22","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T22:15:22","slug":"halloween-catholic-tradition-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thankevann.com\/homeschoolgoodies\/?p=4345","title":{"rendered":"Halloween & Catholic tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Believe it or not, this is one of my high-hitting posts, especially around this time of year. So, I am reposting for 2009:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"candy<\/div>\n

As a child growing up in New Orleans, my Halloweens were well-grounded in Catholic tradition. It all started the weekend before. The car was loaded with buckets, scrub brushes, and brooms. Some years included paint and paint brushes. Then, off to the cemetery for the annual cleaning of the family grave. As my Mom and Grandmother tidied up the front, I was elected to squeeze between the above ground tombs to clean, scrub and paint the sides and top. We were not alone. We’d see lots of the same faces here each year. After our work was done and prayers were said, we returned home.<\/p>\n

\"owl\"<\/div>\n

Then came Halloween. This night meant costumes, candy, friends, and sleepovers. But the next day was All Saints and that meant something else entirely. The Halloween decorations were pulled down early in the morning, if not the night before, and back to the cemetery we went. This time the car was loaded with flowers. We arranged our flowers in front of the grave and admired our work of the past weekend. We looked at other floral displays in the cemetery and then visited the graves of relatives I had never even met. Once again, we said our prayers and departed for Mass.
\nAs always, here are some links to help you celebrate Halloween & All Saints’ Day with your family!<\/p>\n