Bonfire night as we keep it today commemorates the failed attempt to
blow up the Houses of Parliament in the 17th century. But the practice
of lighting bonfires at this time of year goes back much further into
history. For instance, in the ancient Celtic lands bonfires were lit to
mark the great feast of Samhain (literally ‘summer’s end) which began
on the eve of October 31st. Apparently it was also known as Ancestor
Night or the Feast of the Dead with rituals to remember the departed
and to affirm the continuing life of this world. On this night the veil
between this world and the next was considered thinnest and it
was a time for settling problems, and throwing out old ideas and
influences. As one Web site puts it, ‘It
was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new
beginnings, the stirring of seed below the ground.’
Our modern customs associated with Bonfire Night and Halloween are
doubtless hangovers from this ancient and mysterious festival. The
Christian Church wisely decided to adapt many ancient feasts and
rituals for its own purposes and to help converts from paganism to feel
at home in their new faith. Samhain eventually became All Saints Day, a
festival on which to rejoice in the victory of those who had most
particularly manifested the grace of God in their lives, to rejoice in
our fellowship with them within the Communion of Saints and to
celebrate the fact that we too can live grace filled lives.
The day after All Saints became All Souls Day when Christians remember
and commend to God’s love their own departed loved ones. Less important
than All Saints Day it is nevertheless very popular simply because of
its personal associations. At the Requiem Eucharist on that day we can
feel close to those we have loved and who have gone before us.
In modern times Remembrance Day has been added to the two more ancient
commemorations. Of course this is in November simply because the First
World War armistice was signed on 11th of the month in 1918 and has
nothing to do with ancient custom. However, there could be no better
time to remember those who died in conflict than this time of year.
The modern ritual of the changing of the clocks from BST to GMT at the
end of October always brings home to me that winter is really on its
way. The evenings suddenly get dark really early and although the
mornings are a little lighter for a while, there is a sense of
gathering gloom. It is easy to see how the ancient pagan rituals helped
people to cope with this and how they felt that at this dark time the
spiritual world was very close, and they thought much of their departed
ancestors. As Christians we have Christ, the Light of the World, to
accompany us though even the darkest times and in All Saints Day and
All Souls Day (and Remembrance Day too) we can experience the true
thinness between earth and heaven and our closeness in the Communion of
Saints to those who have gone before us into the fullness of God’s
Kingdom. With the psalmist we can cry:
‘You
O Lord are my lamp; you turn our darkness into light’
and
‘With
you, O Lord, is the well of life: in your light shall we see light’.
