How did the Halloween tradition begin?
Halloween is an ancient Celtic tradition Christians began practicing in the Middle Ages.
“The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead came back to walk the earth,” said Roger Payne, assistant chair of the Department of Religious Studies.
According to Payne, the holiday began as a way of placating the spirits of the dead.
The Celts’ ideas of Halloween predate Christianity. Before Christianity, the Celts observed Halloween. They imitated the spirits and held fear of the dead spirits, he said.
Halloween traditions include trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes because they believed they were appeasing the spirits, Payne said.
Contemporary society uses the old Celtic traditions, which were brought by the Irish Catholic immigrants who came to America.
Also, there are pagans who are non-Christians that celebrate ancient traditions of the Celts, Payne said.
“This refers to the term Samhain, which is the attempt to do away with Christian religion,” he said.
What are some religious celebrations that relate to Halloween?
The day after Halloween, Nov. 1, is All Saint’s Day. All Saint’s Day also originates from Ireland.
“The idea is that Catholics believed that we are all a part of God’s family,” said the Rev. Martin Jerry of St. Patrick’s Church. “This includes people in heaven, earth and purgatory. Purgatory comes from the second book of Macabees, which is not found in the King James Bible. It is included in the Doay Rhimes translation of the Bible.”
Purgatory is a place in which people prepare themselves for heaven. The feast of All Saint’s Day celebrates reuniting people from heaven, earth and purgatory as part of a family. It originally emphasized a reminder of how those people made it to heaven, the Rev. Jerry said.
It is the exact opposite from the Halloween tradition, he said.
The Catholic Church probably practiced the idea of All Saint’s Day for centuries. The feast day probably originated from one of the popes in the Middle Ages, said the Rev. Jerry.
On Nov. 2, Christians also celebrate All Soul’s Day, which is for friends and family.
“The Christians baptized Halloween by saying there are spirits, but at least they are our friends,” said the Rev. Jerry.
The vigil mass was begun centuries ago and restored in the 1960s. This mass is held the day before the feast at sunset, which is on Oct. 31, Halloween.
What is another celebration of the dead?
Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead on Nov. 1, said Payne. It originated with the idea of a traditional day to recognize the spirits of the dead.
What are a few interesting facts about Halloween?
According to the LSU AgCenter NEWS, Halloween candy bags have enough candy to last two to three weeks.
All together people spend about $2.5 billion every year on candy and related items. It is recorded that Americans will consume about $950 million worth of candy.
Halloween is the biggest candy-selling holiday. This information can be found on the Halloween Zone Web site at