Our modern holiday of Halloween has many aspects from the ancient holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. In the 9th Century Odilon, the abbot of Cluny introduced the festival of All Saints Day as a time to offer prayers for the souls lingering in purgatory in the hope, they might find release. The festival would not be established until the 10th century on the church calendar. Both All Saints and All Souls were most likely a way for the church to co-opt the pagan holiday of Samhain (SAH-win) and possible several other pagan festivals of dead like Lemuria. (May 13) which was also the original date the church held All Saint’s Day. All Souls Day became a day to offer prayers to help the dead move onto the next world. In early days of the festival for a procession of persons dressed in somber black, ring a dismal bell, and call out to the inhabitants of each village to offer prayers for those souls trapped in purgatory waiting for release from limbo. In Italy we find and especially interesting spin on All Soul’s Day. On this day the doors of the crypts were thrown open and the dead were visited by their living family and friends. The crypts were lit by torches and the dearly departed would be decorated with flowers as offerings. In Salerno during the 15th century sumptuous entertainment to those souls who were allowed to leave confinement of purgatory. It was thought charitable to leave food out for the wandering ghosts and spend the night in church as this scared time. It was likely that beggars who were out and about on this night likely took advantage of the feast of the dead. It can be assumed this act was also that the beggars may have offered prayer that may have offered prayers for the dearly departed and was based on old world Christian charity. And So, It Goes.