This is the first timeI've read this thread, so this thread so I've a long of catching up to do ....

Greyeyes said "Guy Fawkes night is not a big event in the calendar of English Catholics." I can see why, but in my English Catholic family it always was a big event. There are certainly places like Lewes where the anti-catholic aspects can be a major feature, but in the areas I came from the event was de-politicised and simply a great excuse for a neighbourly party.

Is the date of All Souls (2nd Nov) a co-incidence or an attempt to replace pagen festival (like All-Saints on 1st)? I always understood that All Saints was a displacement of the pagan festival, but that All Souls was placed to be next to All Saints. The theological link is that All Saints celebrates all those who have 'officially made it' but have not been allocated a special Saint's day, whereas "All Souls" celebrates those who have not been recognised officially even though those who knew them recognise their saintly qualities, together with those who, while not perhaps particular saintly were not clearly destined for damnation. Therefore together the two days celebrate all those who have triumphed over evil.

Finally some songs - The souling classics at the start of this thread, such as "A soul, a soul, a soul-cake" from lots of singers; "Guy, Guy, Guy" which I've only heard from Martyn Windham-Read (how can anyone have three parts to a name where you are unsure how to spell any of them?) and "Welcome Cold November".

More generally, how about "Digging Graves is my Delight" [=Dust to Dust]?