Halloween and All Saints Day have deep religious layers, each adding to new cultures as they emerge.
Various celebrations were brought to America by settlers, but Halloween became popular when large numbers of Irish and Scots immigrated to America in the 1800s.
Halloween’s earliest and major roots are Celtic festivals honoring Samhain, the Celtic king of death. This was the beginning of winter, the season of cold and darkness and rot. The Celts believed that Samhain allowed dead souls to return home on the final night of October 31st.
The Romans conquered the Celts in 43 AD. People combined his two Roman autumn festivals with Samhain. Roman marked his Feralia in late October, bringing another emphasis on the dead. The second holiday honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits and trees. At this point, apples have become a tradition.
As Christianity grew, pagan holiday customs were brought into the celebration of All Hallows’ Day. Hallows comes from the Old English “haligor” which means saint or saint. All Hallows’ Eve was often pronounced All Hallows E’en.
In 834, All Saints’ Day, which honors all Christian saints, especially those who do not have a feast day, was moved from spring to November 1st.
The fourth major layer of Halloween originates from the Middle Ages. People believed that the devil and his followers mock All Saints’ Day and come out on the eve to perform unclean deeds.
This historical knowledge has led some to choose not to send their children to the October festival.
Despite its religious roots, many Christians ask whether they should celebrate Halloween, as seen in Focus on the Family (www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/should-christians-celebrate-halloween/).
The Family’s website Focus said, “It’s not a sin to wear a costume and hand out candy on October 31st.” Their costumes and actions should reflect this.
For example, some churches encourage their members to draw pictures from All Saints Day and dress up as saints.
Regardless of how you join us, take a moment on October 31st to remember how deeply rooted the holidays are.
Sources: Christian Dictionary, JC Cooper; World Book; The HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion, Jonathon Z. Smith, editor.World Religions, John Bowker
