Many Christians struggle to decide how (or if) to celebrate Halloween. After all, it is a holiday that seems to emphasize darkness, superstition and fear. Furthermore, there is the claim that Halloween is pagan and evil in origin – an assertion that simply is not true. Surprise! Halloween didn't start off as a pagan holiday!
The Meaning of the Word Halloween
The name Halloween is a blending of the words All Hallows’ and Even or E’en (referring to the evening before All Holies Day, or All Saints’ Day, which is November 1). The term hallow means “holy” – you may recall reciting it in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9).
Early in church history, Christians began to celebrate the “saints” (heroes of the faith),* and by the 7th century, All Saints’ Day was celebrated annually throughout the Christian world – Orthodox churches celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost, and Roman Catholic churches celebrated on May 13th. Without a doubt, the origin of All Saints’ Day and it's Eve (Halloween) was entirely Christian.
Does Halloween Have a Pagan Origin in Samhain?
Halloween's supposed connection to paganism comes with the fact that the Roman Catholic Church moved the celebration of All Saints’ Day to November 1st in the 8th century. Many scholars claim that Christian leaders were attempting to Christianize a pagan holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-in; “sow” rhymes with “cow”) which was celebrated on the same day. However, there are several reasons to dispute this claim.
First, it should be noted that nothing is known about Samhain with any certainty. It seems to have been a celebration limited to the Northern Celtic people (particularly in Ireland and Scotland) who, prior to their Christianization, had no written records. Regardless, scholars have made wild, though totally unsubstantiated, claims about Samhain as a day dedicated to the dead on which human sacrifices and other dark rituals were practiced. In reality, all we really know about Samhain is that it marked a change of season. In fact, the name Samhain is derived from an Old Irish word that roughly means “summer’s end.”1
Second, by the time that All Saints’ Day came to be associated with November 1st, Christianity had been well established in the Northern Celtic region for at least 300 years. There is no indication that pagan practices persisted on Samhain in a way that concerned Rome (which was 1500 miles away across land and sea) enough to change the date of a holiday.
Third, Irish Christians originally celebrated the saints on April 20th. So, it is more likely that they remembered the dead in April than during Samhain on November 1st. When All Saints’ Day was transferred to November 1st among Roman Catholic churches, the focus on the dead shifted with it.
As one scholar suggests, November 1st may have been chosen simply so that the many pilgrims who traveled to Rome to commemorate the saints “could be fed more easily after the harvest than in the spring.”2
Connection Between Halloween and Samhain
So why do so many scholars draw the connection between Halloween and Samhain? In the nineteenth century, cultural anthropologist Sir James Frazer studied the practices of the Northern Celtic people on Hallowmas (a term that has come to describe the three day period of October 31st, Halloween, November 1st, All Saints’ Day, and November 2nd, All Souls’ Day). He asserted that the traditions of Hallowmas were rooted in Samhain, and he claimed that the ancient pagan festival had been a day to honor the dead. Though Christianity probably brought the focus on the dead to Samhain, Frazer claimed the reverse. It seems that every cultural anthropologist after Frazer, has repeated, and even exaggerated his claim.
Frazer believed that Christianity was rooted in paganism, and he often tried to make connections between the two in his writing. This makes it all the more peculiar that evangelical Christians have embraced his claims and have suggested that we abandon the celebration of Halloween because of its supposed connection to a pagan holiday. The reality is that Halloween is Christian in origin and the selection of its date probably had nothing to do with Samhain.
Unfortunately, it must be conceded that modern Halloween celebrations (at least in the U.S.) seem to have lost their Christian heritage altogether. Halloween's journey to America was significantly shaped by the influx of European immigrants in the 19th century, especially the Irish fleeing the potato famine of the 1840s. As these immigrants settled in America, they brought their traditions and customs with them, including the celebration of Halloween. Over time, these traditions blended with American culture, evolving into the Halloween festivities that are widely celebrated across the country today.
But it should come as no surprise that a holiday celebrating death would develop a dark and superstitious character among non-believers. After all, death is mysterious and terrifying to those who don’t know the gospel. However, as Christians, we can celebrate the lives of those who have died in Christ, because we know that “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54); it is nothing to fear. Though our bodies will die, our spirit will dwell with Christ (Philippians 1:21) until He returns to earth to make all things new (2 Peter 3:13) and to clothe us with new glorious bodies (Philippians 3:20-21). Halloween affords the perfect opportunity to contrast the Christian and the non-Christian views of death and to share the hope that we have in Christ.
Origins of Halloween Traditions in America
Because of the confusion and different opinions around the history of Halloween, many Christians wrestle with the decision of participating in different traditions around October 31st. Many of our modern Halloween activities have evolved from a mixture of ancient Celtic, Christian, and American influences. Here are some of the origins behind popular Halloween traditions:
Trick-or-Treating
This tradition has roots in the medieval practice of "souling" in Britain and Ireland, where the poor would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1) asking for food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day (November 2). In Scotland and Ireland, there was a similar tradition called "guising" where children would go door to door performing or telling jokes in exchange for a treat. This evolved into the American trick-or-treating during the early 20th century, becoming widely popular by the 1950s.
Jack-o’-Lanterns
The practice of carving jack-o’-lanterns originated from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack who tricked the devil and was forced to roam the Earth with only a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, where pumpkins were used instead of turnips, as they were more plentiful and easier to carve.
Costumes
Wearing costumes during Halloween also has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain when people would disguise themselves with animal skins to ward off evil spirits. This tradition was adapted over time, especially as Halloween became more commercialized in the 20th century, with costumes ranging from the spooky to the whimsical.
Bobbing for Apples
This game traces back to the Roman invasion of Britain when the conquering army merged their own celebrations with traditional Celtic festivals. The Romans brought with them the apple tree, a symbol of the goddess Pomona, and during an annual festival, young people would try to bite into apples floating in water or hanging from strings, a practice that later became associated with Halloween.
Rather than abandoning Halloween to the lost, let us reclaim it for God’s glory. May He help us to be light in the darkness and to find ways to creatively bring the “hallowed” back into Halloween. Read more about why and how Christians should celebrate halloween: A Tricky Holiday: Should Christians Ignore or Embrace & Celebrate Halloween? and check out Is Halloween Satan's Birthday?
*It should be noted that the New Testament repeatedly uses the word saints to refer to all believers. When the term refers specifically to heroes of the faith, it is used in quotes.
1 Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 11.
2 Weiser, Francis. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. Deus Books, 1963 (original 1952), p. 188.
Angie Mosteller is founder of Celebrating Holidays, an educational company dedicated to teaching the Christian roots of American holidays. For more information on the history and symbols of Halloween, as well as creative ideas, visit www.celebratingholidays.com. Some of the content of this article is drawn from a Rose Publishing pamphlet titled Christian Origins of Halloween, © 2012. Used with permission.
Photo credit: Unsplash @nevenkrcmarek
