Embrace Halloween's Christian origins

Published: October 29, 2018

En Español

Americans seem obsessed with zombies, vampires, ghosts and the occult. It is especially bad this time of year when we are inundated with disturbing images of darkness and death, which is a distortion of what Halloween is really about. Father Steve Grunow with Word on Fire explains that Halloween, as understood by Catholics, puts the realities violence, horror and death "within the context of Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil. The current secularized version of the festival has no salvific content and has been loosed from its theological moorings. It looks very much like a festival of death for a culture of death."

Today's secular observance of Halloween draws from two different feast days in the Catholic Church: All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2.

Halloween or "All Hallows Eve," is the vigil of All Hallows Day, now known as All Saints Day. This feast day invites us to remember all those who have died and gone to heaven. This includes all saints, not just those who are known to us (those canonized by the Church). All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation to attend Mass. Contact a parish near you to get holy day Mass times.

On All Souls Day we remember and pray for all those who have died and are in purgatory. Souls in purgatory "have not yet been purified" in order to enter heaven. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a tradition that originated in Mexico, combines the religious aspects of All Saints and All Souls days with cultural traditions of honoring the dead. It is celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 with the custom of "building private altars at the tomb of loved ones where families can bring the deceased person’s favorite foods, drinks, flowers and mementos."

According to Gretchen Filz in "A Catholic's Guide to Halloween," the traditional customs of Halloween are Catholic in origin. "In medieval times Catholic churches often displayed the bones and relics of their saints on Halloween for public veneration." And Catholic immigrants from Europe brought a variety of traditions with them to America. "Dressing up for Halloween comes from the French; jack-o-lanterns come from the Irish (originally carved turnips); and the English begged from door to door for 'soul cakes,' promising to pray for the departed loved ones of those who gave them these treats, the roots of trick-or-treating."

Not understanding the root of these traditions and/or separating Halloween from its Catholic roots altogether have led some Christians to believe Halloween is evil and choose not to celebrate it. If getting into the dangerous territory of using Ouija boards, tarot cards, getting palm readings from psychics, holding séances or other forms of dabbling in the occult, that concern is valid. However, Catholic teaching is very clear about these practices. 

"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to 'unveil' the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2116)

Father Grunow encourages Catholics to embrace Halloween. "Halloween should not be a day when our churches go dark and Christians retreat into the shadows, but when we fill the darkness with Christ's light and go out into the culture, inviting everyone to the prepare for the festival of the saints with all the joy we can muster."

Filz advises: "To avoid superstition and any negative influence of the occult, Halloween should not be honored or celebrated apart from Catholic truth in the same way we should keep the birth of Christ at the center of Christmas, and the resurrection of Christ at the center of Easter."

Christina Mead points out in Life Teen International that the evil images associated with Halloween are a reminder to Catholics that the battle over evil has already been won and there is no need to be afraid. "When we decide to be afraid of the devil we give our power over to him. What message does it send the world if we, as Christians, are afraid to admit to the reality of evil? It sends the message that we’re not sure who wins this battle of good versus evil. ... Partaking in this holiday does not mean you’re opening yourself up to evil. I think that on the contrary, it means you’re claiming as your own the victory of Christ on the cross. How much more Christian can you get?"

For questions not covered in this article, check out Busted Halo, which offers ways to make Halloween educational and fun with its: "Five Saints to Help You Celebrate Halloween" and "Seven Ways to Keep the 'Hallow' in Halloween." Related articles include: Word on Fire's "10 Most Haunted Catholic Sites In America," "Ghosts and the Catholic Church: Pointing to the Permanence of the Soul," from National Catholic Register and "What the Hell Is Halloween and How It Can Point You to Heaven," by Christopher West.