The first fallen leaves crunch underfoot, shadows lengthen, and a cool breeze slips through the bare branches of the trees. It's that time of year when the veil between worlds thins, when souls, spirits, and memories emerge to join our festivities. On October 31st , we celebrate Halloween , a night steeped in mystery, ancestral memories , and folk tales . But what are the origins of this holiday, now synonymous with spooky costumes , illuminated pumpkins , and candy? And how is it celebrated in other parts of the world, under different names and with unique symbolism?
Samhain: With Celtic roots
To understand the origins of Halloween , we must go back to its Celtic roots , to the heart of an ancient celebration known as Samhain . This festival marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark season, a time when the ancient Celts believed the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was thinnest. Spirits could thus cross over, and it was customary to light sacred fires to ward off malevolent energies while honoring the souls of ancestors.
Samhain was much more than a simple seasonal transition . It was a time when the boundary between the natural and the supernatural blurred, opening a gateway to a magical world. The Celts lived in harmony with nature and viewed the changing seasons as a sacred event, imbued with spirituality. At this time of year, the boundaries between life and death became porous, and spirits could return to visit the living. Families set tables with offerings of food to appease these visitors from beyond and welcome them with respect. Costumes, often made of animal skins and frightening masks, served to deceive stray spirits, to confuse them and ensure the safety of the living. This is how the tradition of dressing up in costumes began, a practice that continues to this day.
Bonfires also played a central role in Samhain festivities. These large blazes served a dual purpose: to ward off evil spirits and to symbolize light in the growing darkness of winter. Participants often used embers from these fires to light their own hearths, a gesture intended to bring the community's protection into each home. Samhain was thus a festival of transition and renewal, marking both the end and the beginning of a cycle—a concept that, although it has evolved, remains central to modern Halloween celebrations.
All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
With the Christianization of Europe, these ancient pagan customs were gradually transformed into Christian celebrations . Samhain thus became linked to All Saints' Day , established by the Church to honor all saints, known and unknown. Then, on November 2nd , All Souls' Day was added to celebrate and pray for the deceased. This attempt by the Church to appropriate pagan festivities was common at the time, as it facilitated the conversion of populations by integrating their customs and giving them a Christian dimension.
This fusion of pagan and Christian beliefs helped preserve a deep connection between the living and their ancestors, a connection still found in modern Halloween celebrations. It is a night where the lightheartedness of costumes and candy blends with deeper reflection on death, the cycle of life , and the memory of the departed. In France and other European countries, the tradition of visiting cemeteries to place flowers on graves and pay respect to loved ones continues, reminding us of the importance of this period as a time of transition, between remembrance and renewal.
Halloween in America: From folklore to modern parades
Samhain 's Irish roots crossed the Atlantic with Irish immigrants who, fleeing the Great Famine in the 19th century, brought their legends and customs to America. It was on North American soil that Halloween truly transformed, becoming a popular holiday , a blend of folklore and commercialization. Carved turnips gave way to pumpkins , more plentiful in America, and the symbolism of lanterns took the form of Jack-o'-lanterns , illuminating porches.
The legends surrounding Jack-o'-lantern , the figure condemned to wander eternally with a lantern carved from a turnip, have also crossed the ocean. This tale, both frightening and fascinating, finds a particular resonance in American tradition, where the pumpkin, with its vibrant color and generous shape, has become an inseparable symbol of autumn and celebration.
Traditions have adapted to American society, and today, the playful aspect of Halloween , with its costumes, spooky decorations, and trick-or-treating , has become iconic. Behind the lightheartedness of the costumes and sweets, this holiday remains a unique opportunity to confront our fears, reinvent ourselves, and reconnect with the stories of the past that haunt and fascinate us. Halloween parades, particularly the one in New York City, bring together thousands of participants each year in the most creative costumes, transforming the city into a veritable carnival where imagination takes precedence over the everyday.
Halloween in the United States has become a cultural phenomenon, fueled by the film and television industries. Iconic films such as John Carpenter's " Halloween " have helped shape the modern image of the holiday, incorporating elements of suspense and horror. Haunted houses , often organized by local associations or amusement parks, have become a tradition for thrill-seekers . Children, meanwhile, eagerly prepare for trick-or-treating, going from door to door to fill their bags with candy while chanting the famous phrase " Trick or Treat ."
Day of the Dead: Praising Ancestors in Mexico
But Halloween isn't the only celebration of this time of year to honor spirits. In Mexico, Día de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead ) is a beautiful and fascinating festival, rich in color and symbolism. It's not a night of terror, but a celebration of life , where families gather to welcome the spirits of the departed. The ofrendas , altars dedicated to the deceased, are adorned with marigolds, candles, photos, and food, creating a true bridge between the living and the dead.
The origins of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) date back to pre-Columbian civilizations , particularly the Aztecs, who honored their dead with rituals and offerings. When the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 16th century, they introduced Catholicism, and local traditions blended with Christian practices. Thus, the Day of the Dead is now celebrated on November 1st and 2nd , creating a link with the European All Saints' Day . However, the atmosphere of Día de los Muertos is quite different: it is a joyful celebration , an opportunity to lovingly remember those who have passed away, to share stories, and to remember that death is an integral part of life.
Sugar skeletons and skulls, known as calaveras , have become iconic symbols of this festival. They are not meant to frighten, but rather to remind us of the benevolent presence of ancestors among the living. In some regions, parades are organized, and participants paint their faces as calaveras , transforming the streets into vibrant displays of color and light. Music, dancing, and shared family meals create an atmosphere where the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead blurs, and where remembrance becomes a shared celebration.
Other Days of the Dead celebrations around the world
Traveling the world reveals that the need to connect with the deceased is universal. In China , for example, the Ghost Festival ( Zhongyuan Jie ) is a time when it is believed that the spirits of ancestors return to Earth. Lanterns and offerings are prepared to guide and appease these souls, a tradition that, like Halloween , brings the living together to remember the dead. The Ghost Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month , and the Chinese often burn incense and paper objects, such as play money, to honor the spirits and ensure their benevolence.
Similarly, in Japan , the Obon Festival is a summer celebration that shares many similarities with Halloween . Lanterns are lit to guide spirits, and families visit cemeteries to honor their ancestors . The cemeteries then come alive for an evening, illuminated with countless lights, while traditional dances, called Bon Odori , are performed to express the joy of reuniting the living and the dead. The Obon Festival is a time of profound family connection , where everyone becomes aware of their roots and the importance of past generations.
In Korea , Chuseok is primarily a harvest festival , but it is also an opportunity to honor ancestors. Families gather, share a meal, and visit graves to pay homage to those who came before them, thus perpetuating the bond between generations. Chuseok is often compared to American Thanksgiving, but it carries a strong spiritual dimension, where ancestors are thanked for blessing the harvest, and the cycle of life is celebrated as a whole.
An intimate and universal journey
Modern Halloween , with its monsters, treats, and bursts of laughter, is really just one of the many manifestations of a timeless human quest: what remains of our dear departed? How do we keep their memory alive and honor their legacy? These questions transcend centuries, continents, and cultures, revealing our deep yearning for continuity, belonging, and remembrance.
All these festivals of the dead , whether celebrated with fear, joy, or solemnity, bear witness to how each culture attempts to come to terms with the inevitable. They are bridges between worlds, moments when boundaries blur, when the living remember that death is not an end, but a transition, a passage to another state of existence.
Celebrating Halloween at MythWeave means more than just donning masks; we delve into timeless stories, myths that resonate today, tales that remind us the thread between life and death is also the one that connects us all, beyond time and space. It's a time to celebrate our humanity, our imagination, and the power of storytelling that, from generation to generation, helps us make sense of the mystery of existence.