The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-31
THE DAY OF ALL SAINTS
TOMORROW WILL MARK IMPOH-
 TANT CHURCH FESTIVAL.
Halloween will Re Celebrated Tonishs With Many Merry Pnrttes--Hts-
 tory of Ancient Cus-

Wednesday will be All Saints Day, festival that will be observed with appropriate services in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches or Montgomery. Thursday VIII pc Al Souls Day, and will be observed py rnecial masses in the Roman Catholic Church.
 < All Saints Day is known under many different names. In the old Eng fish 1t was called All Hallows. All Hal lowmas, or Simply Hallowmas. IL IS distinctly a church festival and was introduced because of the impossibflity of observing separate day TOT each of the departed saints. It came into general observance early in tne history of the Christian Church, ap- nearing first In the Greek Church.
 In this divison of the church the ohservance of the festival appears as eariy as the fourth century, immedi- ately after the cessation of the per necution At that time the first sun day after Easter was appointed by the Greek Church for revering the memo " of the martyrs generally. In the Church of Rome a similar festival was introduced in 610. At that time inc old mythological Pantheon (the nrexent Rotunda or Santa Maria dei Meiri). was consecrated, the ceremo- Ynies taking place on March 13.
 The real festival of All Saints Day,  by Pope Gregory ", on November Ii Sab. The exact reasons for fixing uuon that day are not known, but IL was doubtless due to the fact that NO vamber l, or, rather; the eve preced- ing 1t, was one of the four great res tivals of the heather nations or the North. These festivals were held on the first of November, February' May and August.
 A curious commingling of the old sovfhs. with all their beauties, and the teachings of the Christian Church has resulted. Popular fancy among the nations of the North, which were just then becoming iChristianized, thor oughly mingled with the teachings Of the priests. Today the quaint and cu- rfous customs are still carried out in pleasant gatherings, on the eve pre-, ceding the feast, the well known ana popular Halloween.
 Expectations springing from the old Teutons are practiced today in a spirit of fun. The maiden walks slow ly backward up the stairs looking aIi the while into a mirror which she Is carrying, in her hands. Cn the top step she is greeted by the face of her future husband, and timid lovers have made much of the story.
 If an apple is carefully peeled and the long, slender peeling is twirled three times around the head and then flung across the FOOHls FdbN WI cause it to shape itself in the form of the initial letter of the true lovers name. Myriad other customs have grow nup around the day, and the younger generation look upon it now as somewhat of a holiday and night of prank playing.
 Tn it's church significance it is a beautiful custom. It is the time when those who have been enjoying the benefits which Christianity has be- slowed upon them, with one accord, unite in paying honor to the memory of those who won the fight against the pagan Emperors of Imperial Rome.
 Following All Saints Day is All Souls Day. festival of the Roman Catholic Church. The festival was first instituted in .J0. in the monas- fery of Clugny The object of the day is by prayers and almsgiving, to ale yiate the suffering of the souls in purgatory.
 No general edict making the day church festival is recorded It seems to have come into general use, spread ing from the monastery of Clugny. Today 1t is generally observed In all the Roman Catholic churches of the world with special masses and prayers for the repose of the souls of the dead
 Around All Souls Day legend has also clustered, though not nearly so many as around All Saints Day. Most of the legends are of the ghostly kind and it is on this night that the departed return to earth and visit again the scenes of their earthly life. Perhaps the most famous Of all the All Souls Day legends is the one concern ing Kingston Bridge, famous in song and story
 The legend took its birth in the simple poetic minds of the Angles and Saxons, and among the ignorant of England it Is still believed. It is on this night, say the fireside tales, that the souls come back and walk back ward and forward on Kingston Bridge.