A View on Halloween
By William J. Dell – October 1992
Halloween, which is celebrated on October 31, comes to us from several ancient new year festivals and festivals for the dead. The principal festival was probably the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Celtic lord of the dead. The Celts believed that Samhain permitted the souls of the dead to return to their earthly homes for this night. The people were required by their Druid priests to put out all their fires. The priests then built a bonfire of sacred oak wood. In this fire they burnt animals, crops, and possibly humans as sacrifices to Samhain. Each family would then light their home fires from the residue of the bonfire for the new year. The Romans added two additional pagan festivals to the celebration when they conquered the Celts.
The Catholic Church established November 1st as All Saints Day to permit converts to continue their festival celebration during this part of the year. Later they added All Souls Day on the 2nd where poor people would beg for soul cakes promising to pray for the souls of the departed.
Halloween was not a popular holiday in the United States until the 1800′s because of the fundamentalist Christian views of the early sects who settled here. Lately with the many tragedies inflicted on children as they ‘trick or treat’, I question the wisdom of celebrating this pagan holiday in what is suppose to be a Christian nation. Such a celebration certainly cannot have a Christ centered purpose.
