Take a walk through any suburban neighborhood this time of year, and you’re likely to be met with decorations ranging from friendly ghosts to wicked witches to downright horrifying renditions of serial killers from popular horror movies.
“Spooky season” has been celebrated this way by popular culture for decades. For most, Halloween is a time to plan a fun costume, decorate, carve jack-o-lanterns, and go trick-or-treating. It’s a time to have a little fun and visit a haunted house for thrills. It’s a time that most Americans enjoy.
But is that all there is to it? And where did these traditions even come from? Why do we celebrate Halloween at all, and what’s the point of this holiday?
As with many traditions in our country, its roots are set in early Christianity. Halloween, as it was originally intended, is Catholic.
Let’s take a deep dive into the origins of Halloween. What it is and what it isn’t. And how it has come to look like the holiday we celebrate today in America.
Where Does the Word Halloween Come From?
The word “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows' Eve” and refers to the night before a very special feast day in the Catholic Church called All Saints’ Day.
Hallow means Holy or Saint, and Eve refers to the night before. In Catholic tradition, it’s common to hold vigils the evening before Holy Days, just like Christmas Eve!
Over time, All Hallows’ Eve was shortened to Halloween.
For Catholics, Halloween marks the first day of a celebration called Allhallowtide, the time of year when living Catholics honor and remember those who died in Jesus Christ and pray for the souls in purgatory (2 Maccabees 12:46) (Matthew 12:32).
These two very important religious celebrations (also called feast days) include All Saints’ Day, celebrated on November 1st, and All Souls’ Day, celebrated on November 2nd.
All Saints’ Day is when we honor all the martyrs who died defending their faith in Jesus Christ and all the faithful in Heaven – both known saints and those unknown. All Saints’ Day has been celebrated by the Catholic Church since the mid-300s.
All Souls’ Day is when we pray for all the souls in purgatory awaiting purification to enter into Heaven perfectly (Rev. 21:27) ( Corinthians 3:11-15).
So, really, the word Halloween simply refers to the night before two very important days of prayer for all the Christians who’ve gone before us.
Does Halloween Have Any Ties to the Worship of Evil Spirits?
Happy to report: No.
The claim that Halloween has roots dating back to an ancient Celtic religious ceremony called Samhein (pronounced “sow-win”) – where Celts believed that on October 31st, the barrier between the physical world and the spiritual world was at its thinnest, thereby allowing spirits to walk the Earth and commune with the living – is a MYTH.
First, it’s important to note that the claim that the Celtic people had a shared religion at all is a myth. Celts were made up of several different cultures spread out over various regions, and they did not have a common language, culture, or religion (Source).
Evidence does, however, support a celebration among Celtic people, but it points to customs more akin to a Harvest Festival. After all, “Samhain” translates to “summer’s end”.
The very common misconception that a large group of Celtic people took part in a shared religious celebration where they communed with the dead is based on folklore. While it’s possible that some groups of people took part in some sort of celebration like this, the evidence is lacking that it was taking place among large groups of pagan peoples.
Nonetheless, this folklore tale has been passed down as historical fact and, over time, has been linked by some to Halloween and why we celebrate it today.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Although it could explain why many non-Catholic Christians believe Halloween to be an evil day that should not be celebrated at all.
Is All Saints’ Day a Christian Response to Samhain?
And once again, no.
There is no connection whatsoever between Halloween and its original Catholic meaning and the folklore tales associated with Samhain.
Early Christians have been honoring those martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ since the mid-300s. All Saints’ Day became a day marked by the Catholic Church to celebrate all the faithful departed in the early 600s, and originally took place on May 13th.
It wasn’t until the mid-700s that Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1st.
Then, in the mid-800s, Pope Gregory IV instituted All Saints’ Day as a day to be observed by the universal church, and so this holy day spread and became one celebrated by all Catholics (Source).
While there’s no written reason for the change of dates for this holy day, it makes sense that it would be observed in the Fall, when flowers wilt, leaves fall, and we prepare for the dark of winter. As Catholics, it draws our attention to our own mortality, and reminds us to take notice of how we are living – are our lives witnesses to Jesus Christ, or are there areas where we can improve?
Where Do Popular Halloween Traditions Come From, Anyway?
America is often referred to as a “melting pot”. This couldn’t be truer with the Halloween traditions we see today.
When European Catholics immigrated to America, they brought with them Catholic customs – some having roots in All Saints’ Day.
For instance, the English would go door to door begging for “soul cakes,” offering to pray for the departed loved ones of those who gave them the cakes. This practice looks a lot like trick-or-treating today.
Some of the other traditions you see today have no connection to the Catholic faith, but are instead a mix of customs brought by English, Irish, and French immigrants, such as the jack-o-lantern. The jack-o-lantern itself has no religious significance at all!
And then you take into account the influence of consumerism and secular culture, and you can see how we’ve gone from a religious celebration to a secular holiday that seems to glorify evil, violence, and horror.
But the truth is that the roots of Halloween are Catholic; from the meaning of the word to the way we observe it, Halloween is meant to draw our eyes to Heaven and Eternity.
So, if you’re a Catholic who wants to observe Halloween and the feast days that follow it as the holy days that they are, you can.
And if you also want to have fun with your decorations, costumes, and trick-or-treating, you can do that, too. Just make sure you avoid the things that glorify evil!
God bless and Happy Halloween!
Sources:
Robert A. Davis, “Escaping Through Flames: Halloween As A Christian Festival” in Trick or Treat, Halloween in a Globalizing World via Catholic Answers Podcast with Joe Heschmeyer
Ronald Hutton, “The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain” via Catholic Answers Podcast with Joe Heschmeyer
https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp/143421
https://ucatholic.com/blog/the-catholic-origins-of-halloween/
