I am very proud to be of European descent, but not to the point of white nationalism, racism or etc mind you. I love reading folktales and fairytales of my people, even looking up fun traditional food. I am also proud of being an American, I love how Americans took some random practice like Halloween and turned into a giant cultural holiday where no one really knows what anything means. Which makes it even more confusing when Christians and Muslims scream “DEVIL WORSHIP” about the holiday. How is dressing up children and getting free candy worshiping something else? Maybe capitalism. How is it wrong to think about death on this one night, when we usually try to avoid it any other day?

It could be argued that since Halloween stems from Pagan beliefs it must be evil. Halloween or All Hallows Eve or All Saints Eve is observed in many Western Christian countries, it starts the three-day observances of remembering the dead, such as saints (hallows), martyrs, and the faithful. We can see this combining with Native traditions in Mexico, creating Dias de los Muertos. The holiday could have stemmed from the Celtic harvest festival Samhain, which became Christianized. Others don’t believe that Samhain and Halloween are connected.

Christians who celebrated All-Saints day do go to church, light candles on graves, and don’t eat meat (the Christian fast).  Folklorist believe that Halloween could have come from the feast of Pomona or the festival of the dead called Parentalia, or even Samhain (meaning summers end). While the Gaels were celebrating the harvest festival the Brittonics celebrated Calan Gaeaf which means the first day of winter. Which makes sense, as most considered Halloween the entrance into Christmas festivities. Halloween was also believed to be the time the boundary between our world and the other was at its thinnest, where fairies and spirits could cross over. People would leave out food and drink to appease the spirits from harming the family; the family also left out food for dead family members. Bonfires were lit to protect the festival-goers and scare the devil away; the bonfires were banned by the church in Scotland.

Soon people began to dress up as the spirits usually as horses, sing songs from door to door and were given food to leave. The symbolic act meant the family was protected in the winter. Think of it as Halloween carolers. The jack-o-lantern came from the Irish and Scottish it represented the soul that has been denied entry into heaven and hell. Trick or treating comes from the mumming that people did in earlier periods, just minus dressing up like horses. The English would go out souling, or pangugaluwa in the Philippines, in which groups would go from parish to parish getting cakes in exchange for prayers.

So is Halloween actually religious? Yes and no, it depends on so many factors that a person could actually be a Pagan or Wiccan and celebrate Samhain or that person could be a Christian celebrating a three-day festival. The modern holiday, however, is not religious, it is a cultural holiday full of fun. It has become so commercialized that most Americans celebrating it don’t actually know the roots of the holiday. While many Christians and Muslims are told vaguely of its “devil” worship connections, which is ironically the funniest thing because it actually was a holiday preventing the devil from entering one’s home….just saying. Do people now think that Grandma is wondering into the house to eat leftovers from dinner? No. Do we believe that if a child doesn’t get candy that somehow, we will have a bad winter? Nope. Soooo how about those evil spirits? I mean sure there are probably freaks hiding in the bushes or something but that tends to happen anyway. 

For me, Halloween is a holiday deeply woven into my own cultural heritage. It is not something I personally see connected with religion or worship. Why? Because I never celebrated the holiday even remotely connecting it to the dead or with the dead. It wasn’t until I was older and researched the holiday that I found out some of its Christian and Pagan past. Don’t get it wonky, Halloween was very much influenced by Christianity as much as it was by the Celts. Perhaps it is my own Celtic blood coursing through my veins needing that good old fashion chocolate that originates in South America. Like others both, Athiest and not, I don’t think to dress up as Sushi and getting candy is worshipping a giant sushi lord in the sky.

But….but…what of the ancient beliefs combined with the holiday. Surely modern mumming is a form of worship….so ahaha! Shirk…Shirk…Shirk!!! Um…no, I can legit say anything you are doing at this very moment is a sin because some other religion that worships multiple gods also does it. Wipe your butt? Well so does a Hindu and a Pagan and a Devil worshipper. Tie your hair up or even wear a face veil? Well so does a Christian, Pagan, Devil worshipper, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist…and etc…Oh so you like biryani or falafel or gold or clothes or whatever….so does plenty of other worshippers. Think of anything, some other faith has done it. Literally anything we have in the modern world is going to have ancient beliefs and practices tied into them…..guess what that’s called…….culture.

So, I will go on and eat my candy and carve my pumpkin on Halloween. I don’t go to parties because I don’t really care about parties nor will I trick or treat because I am too old. When I have kids, yes, I will take them trick or treating if they want to and I will take them to spooky hayrides. Heck, I’ll even take them to haunted houses, at least once as pre-teens because it’s a fun experience. If they decide they don’t want to do it, then good for them. If you are Muslim or Christian and don’t celebrate the holiday good for you; if you do consider it shirk than “cool bro”. Shirk to me is worshipping anything other than God, gorging myself in candy and celebrating my cultural heritage doesn’t lead me to worship my whiteness or Capitalism….honestly, we can argue if it does lead to worshiping capitalism……Anyway Happy Halloween!!!