Autumn is not the season of decay or death, but one of wealth and renewal - nature writer Louise Baker in Autumn: An anthology for changing seasons (2016). All Saints' Day is the third high festival of Autumn (after Michaelmas and Harvest Thanksgiving). It is then right and proper that it is surrounded by customs which reflect this. The pumpkins, apples, and nuts of the season are a rich and joyous bounty which should be enjoyed on All Hallows' Eve. This itself is an anticipation of the feast day. As Donne famously declared: in Paradise, the fruits were ripe the first minute, in Heaven it is always autumn, His mercies are ever in their maturity. The rich bounty of Autumn shared on All Hallows' Eve is a foretaste of what the collect of the feast describes as "those unspeakable joys" which are set before us, the promise declared in the Gospel of the day: "for great is your reward in heaven". The other aspect of All Hallows' Eve, of course, is...
Old High - Burkean - clerk in holy orders