All
Saints' Day (Nov. 1) not only commemorates all the departed, but also signifies
"the desire of Christian people to express the intercommunion of the living and
the dead in the Body of Christ." [Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 1994, p.
410] The preceding night is Halloween (October 31) or
"All Hallows' Eve" ("All Hallows" being an early name for All Saints' Day);
this night reflects many pre-Christian practices rooted in European autumn
festivals, especially of ancient Rome and the British Isles. Many Halloween
traditions were taken to America by the Scots and Irish. Although not on the
Prayer Book calendar, liturgical provisions for All Hallows' Eve (also called
the "Eve of All Saints") can be found in the optional supplement The Book of
Occasional Services.