Costumes, candy, commercialization … three words that can succinctly describe the modern image of Halloween. Besides slasher films and an eerie chill in the air, Halloween is viewed as just another one of our American traditions and a staple of consumerism. As an Irish Catholic, it leaves me scratching my head, wondering how a holiday with such deep Christian and Gaelic roots could have become so distorted.

It all began with Samhain (sow-wen,)  an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, celebrated by our ancestors in Ireland. The ancient Celts believed this was a time when the veil between the living and the dead was thinned, and used it as an opportunity to communicate with and remember those who’d passed away.

Attempting to convert the Celtic people to Christianity, many early Christians adapted the pagan Samhain into something more digestible, turning it into All Saints’ Day. They established the holiday, celebrated on the 1st of November, to honor saints and martyrs. From there, Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) emerged, serving as the vigil night. The early church intended to blend the indigenous traditions with Christian theology, emphasizing the remembrance and preservation of souls.

In the 19th century, as a potato famine ravaged their native land, Irish and Scottish immigrants (like my ancestors) brought Halloween to the United States, introducing traditions like carving jack-o’-lanterns. Around this time, it was common tradition to carve turnips, squash, and other gourds to ward off evil energies. The idea of evil spirits emerged in the 18th century when youngsters mimicked them at night (this is how costumes came into play later on).

Once the holiday reached North America, things began taking a turn for the worse. The holiday shifted from a religious and cultural observance to a family-friendly celebration, where our troubles began. As families became the chief celebrants of this largely irreligious revelry, corporations saw a way to make a quick buck off of parents wishing to spoil and please their children. Thus, another holiday became corrupted by commercialism and consumerism.

In no time, Halloween transformed into a largely secular event focused on costumes and treats, overshadowing its original focus on honoring the dead and saints. Today, many fail to recognize the significance of All Saints’ Day within Christian theology and associate the holiday with largely secular and pagan rituals. There is a substantial disconnect between the current form of Halloween and its deep religious and cultural undertones.

Now, I feel it important to recognize that many cultures celebrate holidays parallel to All Saints’ Day / Halloween, such as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is celebrated in Spanish-speaking cultures from October 31 to November 2, coinciding with All Saints’ Day. In many traditions, ofrendas (altars) are carefully constructed to honor deceased loved ones, acknowledging the continuity of faith in Catholic regions of Latin America.

It’s fascinating how Día de los Muertos retains its spiritual roots, honoring family lineage and the sacredness of death in ways Halloween has largely lost. Similar to the tradition of Samhain, it reflects the merger of spiritual and cultural traditions that were utilized to convert the indigenous Mexicans and Aztecs to Christianity during the Spanish conquest.

I advocate for a conscious return to Halloween’s original meanings and a revival of All Saints’ Day observances, particularly within the Catholic community, and I encourage readers to embrace the holiday not just as entertainment, but as a time for reflection on faith, family, and the Christian afterlife. It’s not to say that I want to take the “fun” out of the holiday. Instead, I wish folks would recognize it as something more sacred than a simple excuse to eat copious amounts of candy (making gluttons out of themselves) and engage in the “spooky” pagan culture that takes away from the true purpose of the holiday.

Thus, I invite my readers to consider how you might be able to blend this unique cultural celebration with a spiritual meaning, regardless of your faith. Again, Halloween is not meant to be a merely secular holiday, but an occasion for honoring the sacred traditions of the past.

And with that, I wish you all a very safe and spooky Halloweekend!