Examining the true roots of Halloween

By Easton Martin

Modern cultural narratives often depict the October 31st celebration of Halloween as a direct continuation of ancient pagan rituals and druidic worship. Historical records demonstrate that the foundation of the holiday is overwhelmingly rooted in Christian liturgical traditions established during the early medieval period. 

The very word Halloween is a Scottish contraction of All Hallows Eve, which denotes the vigil observed on the evening before the Western Christian feast of All Saints Day.

In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV formally consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to Saint Mary and all Christian martyrs on May thirteenth. During the eighth century, Pope Gregory III established an oratory inside Saint Peter Basilica for the relics of the apostles and all saints on November first. By the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV extended the November first observance of All Saints Day across the entire Frankish Empire, which solidified the October thirty-first vigil on the liturgical calendar. The subsequent day, November second, was later designated as All Souls Day by Abbot Odilo of Cluny to offer prayers and alms for all departed faithful Christians. Together, these three consecutive days formed the season of Allhallowtide, a solemn triduum dedicated to honoring Christian saints and praying for souls in purgatory.

Popular modern myths claim that Pope Gregory deliberately chose November first to co-opt Samhain, a seasonal Gaelic harvest festival marking the end of summer and the beginning of the pastoral winter in Ireland. Historical documentation from early medieval Europe reveals that the Roman church established the November feast primarily to accommodate the large number of pilgrims visiting Rome after the autumn harvest, long before the Vatican had extensive administrative contact with rural Celtic customs. Furthermore, no ancient Irish texts depict Samhain as a festival dedicated to a god of the dead or druidic human sacrifice. 

Many traditions associated with modern Halloween developed directly from medieval Christian practices during Allhallowtide. The custom of dressing in costumes and going door to door originated from souling, a medieval practice in Britain and Ireland where poor parishioners went to homes collecting small spiced pastries called soul cakes in exchange for praying for the homeowner’s departed relatives. When millions of Irish and British immigrants arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century, they brought these folkloric Christian customs, which gradually merged into a neighborhood community holiday.