Sunday, November 2nd, 2014 is a day when holidays collide, but I doubt many will notice the irony. Most will be too distracted  watching their favorite football team to celebrate either The Day of the Dead or Orphan Sunday.

(All Souls Day, All Saints Day, and Día de Muertos, see The Life of the Dead.)

Day of the Dead and All Saints is supposed to be about remembering our departed loved ones. But it is mostly a drinking holiday in the US, a “Mexican Halloween”, with a nod to the culture via displaying sugar skulls. All Saints/All Souls is celebrated in some Western high churches on the first Sunday of November. Both are ancient celebrations, going back to pagan times.

Orphan Sunday is a recently contrived holiday, strategically glommed onto the first Sunday in November in many Christian churches as the kick-off of National Adoption Month.

Adoption as we…