Halloween or All Saints?

This is a true story. You can decide which day it suits better: All Hallow's Eve or All Saints' Day.

Lidia* was the oldest "sister" in a Baptist church in Moldova. Like many Romany in her village, she lived in a sort of compound with several houses built around a small yard. Her grown children lived around her and looked after her. However, her grown children did not share Lidia's new-found faith. On the surface, they were Eastern Orthodox. In reality, they followed Romany traditions which focus around gathering baxt (good fortune) and avoiding things that would drive away baxt. Part of this included honoring the dead. Graves are dug twice as deep as normal and first filled with all kinds of luxurious drinks, from cartons of juice to vodka and wine. Then all kinds of fruit is added. Not just common variety garden fruit, but imported fruits like pineapples and kiwis. All that extra space is filled with grave goods, rather like a pharoah's tomb. The funeral is also elaborate with a procession through the village. Family members will have stockpiled gifts like blankets. Periodically the procession pauses to that these can be distributed among the village, ideally to the poorer households. This does not end with the burial. There are well-maintained picnic tables with benches in the graveyard for future times of remembrance. As older church members generally do, Lidia eventually passed away. Her family was distraught with grief, as families generally are. The Baptist pastor was waiting to see what they would do. He knew and the family knew that Lidia had wanted a Christian funeral. The night after Lidia's death, her eldest daughter had a vivid dream. Lidia came to her. Lidia said that she was in a beautiful place. She described how wonderful it was. She said "your father," her husband, was there, too. She hoped that each of her children and grandchildren would join them there some day. And she wanted a Christian funeral. All of her children heard about this message from their deceased mother. Lidia had a Christian funeral. May her children follow her in the choices they make. *Name changed for privacy reasons.