Halloween, a misunderstood holiday

1)Introduction
2)False Myths
3)Myth 1: Halloween as a Celebration of Satan
4)Myth 2: Halloween is an American Holiday
5)Myth 3: Halloween as a Celebration of Darkness
6)Conclusions

In the previous article, we explored the ancient traditions and history of Samhain, the Irish late-summer festival. It is a liminal and transitional moment from the light part to the dark part of the year, during which the veil separating the realm of spirits and the dead from that of the living becomes thinner and eventually disappears.
(Read the article if you want to know more about Samhain: Samhain, beyond the veil)

For the ancient Celts, it was a time of rites and celebrations to propitiate future harvests and livestock, feasts, and offerings to honor and appease the aos-sì, the people of the mounds, nature spirits and, according to some sources, the Túatha Dé Danann and deceased ancestors.
But Samhain is above all the “mother” of Halloween, known today as the “night of witches and vampires,” one of the most beloved holidays by both adults and children but also among the most misunderstood festivals.

2)False Myths
There is no year in which Samhain is not the subject of the harshest and most senseless criticisms from the most devout bigots: “We do not celebrate death and darkness but the light,” “Halloween celebrates the devil,” “Halloween is an American thing, I follow tradition.”

But is it really as they say? Let’s start debunking some myths.

3)Myth 1: Halloween as a celebration of Satan
Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, the eve of All Saints’ Day, and its literal meaning is indeed “All Hallow’s Eve” or “Vigil of All Saints.”
But originally, All Saints’ Day was celebrated on May 13th, and scholars believe this date was chosen because it coincided with the Lemuralia, an ancient Roman festival during which malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were honored.
In 731-741 AD, Pope Gregory III changed the date of All Saints’ Day celebration from May 13th to November 1st, a date that coincided with the consecration in St. Peter’s Basilica of an oratory dedicated to martyrs, apostles, and confessors.

When Christianity spread to Celtic lands in the 6th-8th centuries AD, missionaries—including saints like Patrick and Columba—encountered deeply rooted pagan traditions and popular resistance. However, the Church did not resort simply to direct prohibition and cancellation of Samhain but adopted a much subtler yet effective strategy: the Christian assimilation and reinterpretation of existing practices linked to Samhain.
Some centuries later, to continue this “syncretism” (though I see it more as “cultural appropriation”), the Church also decided to add the commemoration of the dead on November 2nd. Around the 10th century AD, Saint Odilo of Cluny, a Benedictine abbot of the Cluniac congregation, was moved by an anecdote told by a fellow monk.
He, returning from the Holy Land, was forced to land in Sicily due to a strong storm and met a hermit who claimed to hear the cries of souls in Purgatory.

Saint Odilo of Cluny, shaken by the account, ordered all Cluniac monasteries to observe November 2nd as a day dedicated to prayer for the dead and the souls in Purgatory.
Thus, after the celebrations of November 1st, the abbey bells had to ring with typical funeral tolls, and on the following day a Mass “pro requie omnium defunctorum” (for the repose of all the dead) was offered.
According to another legend, it was said that the Great Flood occurred precisely on November 2nd, symbolically linking that day to death.
So, with November 1st dedicated to all saints and November 2nd to all the dead, the Church effectively “Christianized” Samhain.

In light of all this, is it correct to continue claiming that Halloween is a festival honoring Satan and his demons?
No, of course.
As you have read, it’s a festival with very ancient pre-Christian and Christian origins.
But then, where does this false myth and criticism come from?
The belief that Halloween is a satanic festival arose recently, in the 20th century around the 1970s and 1990s; this myth was propagated by some fundamentalist evangelical movements in the United States concerned about the commercial explosion of this festival and its strongly gothic character.
These groups were either unaware of the true origins of these customs or knew it but had to carry on their obscurantist propaganda.

A very controversial figure was Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan (1966), who included

Halloween among the three most important holidays in his Satanic Bible.
But did he do it for a specific reason?
We might think that, knowing the practices and meaning of Samhain, he considered that moment of veil thinning ideal for invoking demons and “the dark lord”… but actually the reason is much simpler: ironic provocation towards those who fear this festival.
There is no link whatsoever between Satan and Halloween.

In the 1980s, the so-called “Satanic Panic” developed in America, a collective hysteria fueled by horror films, false witnesses, serial crimes, and fundamentalist preachers.
This led to unfounded judicial cases of satanic ritual abuse, later proven false. During this period, many historical falsehoods were spread, such as the idea that Celtic Druids practiced human sacrifices during Samhain, or that “trick-or-treat” derived from sacrifice rituals. Falsehood upon falsehood generated by panic and profound ignorance.

4)Myth 2: Halloween is an American holiday
Another common critic about this festival is that “Halloween is an American invention and not part of our European tradition,” and here too we find a big misunderstanding that needs clarification.
Halloween is not an American holiday at all and was not born in America!
Halloween has strong European roots; it is an “evolution” of Samhain! This celebration came to America around the 19th century when, due to the Great Irish Famine, millions of Irish emigrated to America.
They brought with them their traditions including Halloween/Samhain and its customs like dressing up, Jack-o’-lanterns, and souling. Initially, it remained confined to immigrant communities but then spread and was assimilated by mainstream American society, with a boom after World War II, when Halloween turned into the current community and commercial celebration.
So, based on this analysis, is it correct to claim Halloween is an American invention and not part of our tradition?
Absolutely not. Its origin is European, and although customs have been revised and modernized, they still refer to the ancient traditions of Samhain.
Even if heavily disguised, they are still our traditions!

5)Myth 3: Halloween as a celebration of darkness
“Halloween celebrates darkness and death, but I choose to honor the light and Jesus.“
Every time I hear these phrases repeated like a broken record without even considering their real meaning, it feels like a stab.
This is yet another modern, historically inaccurate distortion. Halloween/Samhain is not a celebration of darkness and death per se; it is a transitional festival recognizing the arrival of the darkest period of the year (winter), celebrating life (the harvest) and the connection with ancestors.
The misunderstanding arises from a conceptual confusion between recognizing darkness and celebrating it. For the ancient Celts, the sacred fires and thus the light were the heart of the celebration. Lighting the fires symbolized resistance to the looming darkness and protection from malevolent spirits.
Is darkness celebrated then?
No, it is certainly acknowledged as a part of life and nature and is faced with light (fires, candles, lamps, lanterns); it is not denied.

Rediscovering the authentic meaning of what is celebrated allows for a more aware participation in the festival, respecting its history and choosing how to take part according to personal sensitivities and values.
Knowing before judging is always the best way to give meaning to a tradition which, beyond appearances, still speaks of light resisting darkness and memory that connects the living with their ancestors.