OPINION: What Is Halloween, Really?

By Linda Kirby/WGON 10.31.26

I turned on the television the other day and heard someone say Halloween had Christian roots. That caught me by surprise. Like many people, I knew the word came from 'All Hallows' Eve,' but I had no idea what that actually meant. So I did a little digging...

Every year on October 31st, children dress up, collect candy, and neighborhoods fill with pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, and spooky decorations. But have you ever wondered where Halloween actually came from?

I recently learned something myself that sent me down a fascinating rabbit trail.

Most people know that "Halloween" comes from All Hallows' Eve, but many don't know what that means. The word hallow simply means holy or sacred. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray:

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6:9)

In other words, God's name is to be honored as holy.

The word hallows referred to holy ones, or saints. Therefore, All Hallows' Day was a day set aside by the Catholic Church to honor saints who had gone before. The evening before became known as All Hallows' Eve, which was eventually shortened to Halloween.

At first glance, that doesn't sound anything like the Halloween we know today.

So how did a church observance honoring saints become associated with ghosts, monsters, witches, and horror?

The answer is that it didn't happen overnight.

Over the centuries, local folklore, superstitions, and stories about spirits became intertwined with the season. Medieval artwork and plays often depicted heaven, hell, angels, demons, and judgment. As time went on, people added traditions that had little connection to the original church observance.

Then came modern entertainment.

Movies, television, haunted houses, costumes, and commercial marketing transformed Halloween into a celebration of the spooky and frightening. What began as a religious observance became, for many, a secular holiday centered on fun, fear, and fantasy.

Today, most people who celebrate Halloween are not thinking about saints at all. They're thinking about costumes, candy, pumpkins, and scary stories.

However, while learning the history can be interesting, Christians should remember that Scripture never instructs believers to honor the dead, pray to the dead, seek messages from the dead, or attempt communication with spirits. Our focus is to remain on Christ.

The Bible specifically warns against occult practices, spiritism, mediums, and attempts to contact the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). For that reason, many Christians are uncomfortable with modern Halloween's fascination with ghosts, spirits, demons, and the supernatural.

Whether a Christian chooses to participate or not is a matter of personal conviction. But understanding the history helps us separate fact from assumption.

The next time someone says "Halloween has Christian roots," you'll know why. The name itself came from All Hallows' Eve, the evening before All Saints' Day. Yet the ghosts, goblins, and horror themes that dominate modern Halloween were largely added over many centuries through folklore, culture, and entertainment.

And perhaps the most surprising discovery of all is realizing that every time we pray, "Hallowed be Thy name," we are using the very same ancient word from which Halloween got its name.

Sometimes history hides in the most unexpected places.