Halloween IS Christian!

You were lied to about Halloween

This post will be more of a resource page for various sites and sources to address the common misbelief that Halloween is Pagan in origin when in truth it is completely Christian. (See below for links to various videos and articles which gives so much information on all this.)

Let’s first remind everyone of what Halloween is so we can better discuss it. Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, is the vigil before All Saints Day on November 1st. (Hallow being a synonym for Saint.) The day after is All Souls Day on November 2nd. The Church celebrates all those who have entered into Heaven on All Saints Day and celebrates (and prays for) all those who are in Purgatory on All Souls Day. Halloween is the feast and celebration on the evening before All Saints Day.

But WHY do we celebrate these three Catholic feasts? We celebrate them because we celebrate the communion of the saints and we celebrate them to remember that the Body of Christ, the Catholic Church, is not separated even by death. Those who are in Heaven are called the Church Triumphant because they have triumphed over death through the power of Christ. Those in Purgatory are called the Church Suffering because they are being cleansed of any impurities in their souls or attachment to sin they may have still had when they passed away. Those Catholics on earth are called the Church Militant because they are still fighting in the spiritual battle for our very souls during our lifetimes.

We celebrate All Saints Day to commemorate and celebrate those who have lived virtuous lives and are now where we hope to one day be, in Heaven in the Beatific Vision. We celebrate to also remember that we are mortal and that every day we wake up is another day closer to our own death and judgment before God. We are reminded to remain holy and live our Christian faith fully so we too can share in the glory of Heaven. Those

We celebrate All Souls Day to remember and pray for those souls who have been saved, but are still being purified in Purgatory before they can enter into Heaven. Despite what you may have been told, nothing unclean can enter Heaven, so if we have any impurity on our soul at our death, that needs to be purified completely before we can stand before God and His throne. So we remember these souls and pray for them that they may be purified quickly and be in Heaven soon. Everyone in Purgatory is already saved and is assured of Heaven. They are going through a final purification to be in God’s Presence.

So what do we celebrate on All Hallows Eve? We celebrate our own mortality and remind ourselves that we too shall die and we shall face judgment. That is why so much imagery for Halloween revolves around the dead, monsters, and other scary things. We have parties to celebrate life because we as Catholics are not prudes and God Himself wants us to enjoy life and have merriment (within moral guidelines).

We also celebrate All Hallows Eve by mocking the demons by dressing up in costumes and decorating up our homes. The demons cannot stand to be mocked and we remind them on this day that Christ is victorious over them and victorious over death. They cannot stand that lowly humans are offered to be in communion with God on a level they cannot participate in. This is one reason why they hate humanity so much.

It is good to have a healthy respect and fear of satan and the demons. They are fallen angels who are far mightier than us, so we should not take them lightly or ignore their evil intentions. But we must also not ascribe to them power they do not have. They cannot force anyone to commit mortal sin. They can only tempt us. But if we stick with Christ and His Church, they have no power over us. This is why we mock them because they are impotent in front of Christ. He has all authority, even over them.

We should celebrate Halloween in a holy manner just as we should with any Catholic holy day. We should make merry and have fun with our friends and family. We should let our kids dress up and go Trick or Treating. We should enjoy what this three days of celebration are meant for. We should go to Mass on All Saints and All Souls. We should pray for those who are in Purgatory, including our deceased ancestors. We should perform an indulgence that is attached to these holy days.

We should also make certain that we keep limits on our behavior during this time. Drunkenness and other sins are not acceptable. We should remember that evil should be mocked on Halloween and should never be enjoyed, celebrated or encouraged. Halloween costumes that are immodest, celebrate evil or contain unnecessary gore are to be avoided. Halloween parties and celebrations that are actually encouraging or praising evil should not happen and should be avoided. We are to remain holy as these holidays are HOLY DAYS. They are not an excuse for evil or sin. Halloween is specifically for mocking evil and sin, not reveling in it. Remember that fundamental distinction.

With all that said, here are some great references for when someone tries to claim that Halloween is Pagan or that it is not Christian. It is entirely Christian and has no roots or connection to Pagan practices or religion.

1. The True Story of Halloween: This video with Dr. Taylor Marshall and Jack Posobiec goes over much of the history and background for Halloween. It is excellent

2. Pagan Halloween?: This video is from History for Atheists, oddly enough. But it is a good video, especially for those Pagans and non-Catholics who claim that Halloween is Pagan in origin. This group of atheists researched it and found the claims baseless.

3. Is Halloween a Pagan Festival?: This article gives some good info on the background of Halloween and debunks the supposed connection between Halloween and Pagan religions. He makes a great point that All Saints Day was enacted almost 400 years after paganism was entirely ended in Ireland and Scotland, so it is laughable to claim that the Catholic Church was trying to take over festivals that hadn’t been celebrated in centuries.

4. Guess What? Halloween is more Christian than Pagan: This article gives a little more info on how there’s simply no connection between Halloween and Pagan religions. There’s no evidence that the festival of Samhain even involved celebrations of the dead or ancestor worship.

5. Surprise: Halloween's Not a Pagan Festival After All: This article gives good info on the medieval Christian origins of some aspects to Halloween festivals.

6. The (Fake) Pagan History of Halloween: Yet more info debunking the claim that Halloween is pagan.

7. The Early Church Fathers and Paganism: This article gives good info about the actual views of the early Catholic Church and what it thought about paganism and pagan feasts. This debunks this claim and other claims that the Catholic Church incorporated pagan beliefs and practices into the faith and corrupted the Christian faith. That claim is bunk.

8. Halloween and the Triduum of Death: This article gives more info about All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Really good info and also talks about how we need to reclaim this Christian feast and take it back from the secular culture.

9. What's the Point of Halloween?: This article goes over why Halloween is important in the Christian faith and why we should celebrate it and All Saints and All Souls Days.

10. How to Gain a Plenary Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory: This article goes over what an indulgence is and how we can obtain one. I would challenge everyone who reads this post to commit to performing this indulgence on All Saints or All Souls Day. Do your Christian duty for those in the Church Suffering who need our prayers. (FYI, the prayer intention of the Holy Father for November 2023 is “For the Pope: We pray for the Holy Father; as he fulfills his mission, may he continue to accompany the flock entrusted to him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.”. This prayer intention is one of the conditions for the indulgence.

11. Exorcist's Advice for All Hallows' Eve: This video between Dr. Taylor Marshall and Fr. Chad Ripperger is good info on Halloween and celebrating it.

12. It's Time for Catholics to Embrace Halloween: This is a good article about embracing All Hallows Eve and re-conquering this holy day for the Church.

13. The Catholic Origins of Halloween: This video is a great long-form discussion on Halloween and the origins of it.

14. The Catholic roots of Halloween, the Vigil of All Saints Day: Good article with even more information on Halloween.

I hope this article can serve as a good resource for everyone so that you can be better equipped to understand Halloween and how it is a Christian holy day. Go celebrate Halloween in a holy and joyous way! God bless!