Halloween: More Christian than Pagan

Yes, Halloween has similarities with (possibly accretions from) Samhain, the Celtic end-of-summer celebration.

But this does not make it a pagan holiday. As historian Nicholas Rogers, author of Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford University Press, 2002), states, “If Samhain imparted to Halloween a supernatural charge and an intrinsic liminality, it did not offer much in the way of actual ritual practices, save in its fire rites. Most of these developed in conjunction with the medieval holy days of All Souls’ and All Saints’ day.” Indeed, most of the traditions we associate with Halloween are medieval or early modern in their origin–not “pagan”.

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