Talk:Halloween

Wrong info

This was a Celtic custom 200.119.180.62 (talk) 05:58, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Have a look at the start of the second paragraph. HiLo48 (talk) 06:12, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

NOPE.

https://historyforatheists.com/2021/10/is-halloween-pagan/ 177.37.150.111 (talk) 18:03, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

While Halloween is the most substantiated in the set of similar Pagan origin of Christian holidays speculative theories (Easter, Christmas, etc.), there's nonetheless little evidence to suggest that Halloween actually does have any origins in Samhain (and no hard evidence to staunchly prove such). See the "History for Atheists" blogpost posted earlier, though it would be better with a greater collection of sources—and one can surely find ten times the number of blogposts affirming a connection.

Honestly, this article seems to lean too far toward the affirmation of this theory. It probably ought to be mentioned, particularly due to the widespread acceptance of the theory, but would be best written in a much more sceptical format. Magicalsenpai (talk) 02:51, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

Too far toward affirming the theory? It basically does affirm the theory, and it's only very recently that different views are presented, but they're presented as competing theories when it's arguably the case that the "pagan holiday stolen by the Church" discourse is unacademic and fringe. Where is the critical scholarship presenting evidence for a pagan origin of this holiday? ~2025-31558-13 (talk) 20:40, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Who wrote the books for acedemia? Oh, I wonder... It's not a Christain holiday. Christians don't have their own holidays, they stole them and forced their ways on the people they stole them from. They used this as a tactic to erase other cultures and religions while forwarding their own. Many of them came from Scandinavia as a means of attempting to wipe them from history. They took their sagas and either destroyed them, or rewrote them to suit their needs at the time. Unfortunately for the Christians some of the sagas survived and now contest the Christians on their claims such as Christmas, which originally was Yule before they stole it and slapped their false prophets bs birthdate on it. They are no better than Muslims. They lied and murdered to forward their cult and obtain land and riches. Christians and Muslims are both destructive cults that split off of Judaism, each following a different false prophet. Not to say that Judaism is much better. as in all actuality their texts are nothing more than a bs story as to why they have land. The whole thing is a land deed with bs chronology and stories as to why they get the land and scaremongering to deter people from questioning it. ~2026-49541-93 (talk) 12:22, 14 September 2026 (UTC)

Halloween is NOT Christian - Part 2

The word 'hallow' is an archaic term for Holy. Following the Feast called 'All Hallows Eve' the diaspora of people of different faiths (see Mexican's 'day of the dead') seems to line up in the way it is observed. All Hallow's Eve celebrates the soul of the 'hallowed' ones (Holy Ones or Saints). Since the word was hijacked to mean something secular (to depart from its origins) the Pope moved the original celebration date from the 31st Oct to the 1st of November and also renamed it ALL SAINTS DAY. This was for clarity because of the confusion caused (for believers and non-believers alike) with the way that the hijacking panned out. Now some Christians are confused about whether Halloween is an original Christian festival. It is not. Christians have always known the original as All Hallow's Eve. When it was changed to Halloween, it was probably for a joke, a laugh to celebrate secular beliefs or make mockery of Christian Faith in an ever-changing world where plenty of people moved away from religion to mock its authenticity. The Christian Faith remains and as at today, Monday 28th July 2025, we stand unrivalled and unmoved at the forefront of religions: Estimated followers: ~2.4 billion Percentage of global population: ~31% Major branches: Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy

Please note that words (I studied languages and linguistics this is how i know) are arbitrary and English, as a dynamic language is highly 'evolvable'. The word 'wicked' in the modern usage in the uk, refers to something which is 'cool', in the same way that Michael Jackson sings the song 'I'm bad...' and also the same way american teens say 'that's sick!' to mean something is cool. In ancient English we know that wicked means 'evil'. It appears in plenty of fairytales 'the wicked witch of wherever...'. Words evolve and as english is a dynamic language it is highly mutable, if a large enough group uses a new word or term, then it becomes eligible to be included in the top dictionaries, for use as a valid new word. Halloween is a joke, an attempt to 'make nonsense of'. It has not succeeded, and never will.

Blessings, Saint Dalene Psalm 16:8 (KJV) "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." StDalene (talk) 15:50, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

"When it was changed to Halloween, it was probably for a joke..." ... got a source for that? It seems like it is just your opinion EvergreenFir (talk) 17:25, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Maybe there is confusion between the All Hallows' Eve and Halloween, both celebrated the same day (31 October). I believe All Hallows' Eve is a Christian celebration, but Halloween is a pagan celebration. Halloween is a modern celebration derived from the Celtic festival of Samhain, which has its roots in the ancient Celtic religion. With the spread of Christianity, the Catholic Church attempted to replace pagan festivals with Christian celebrations. Thus, November 1 was established as All Saints' Day. The eve of this festivity, known as All Hallows' Eve, evolved into Halloween. JasterOmega (talk) 18:22, 30 October 2025 (UTC)

User:JasterOmega, Hallowe'en is a contraction of All Hallow's Eve and both terms have been used in Christian liturgical texts, as depicted here. You'll note that the position offered by Catholic Answers differs from the one you described above. I hope this helps. With regards, Anupam^Talk 02:38, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Santino

Santino is not preoccupied with origins and he relies more on representative anecdotes than on an exhaustive account of extant sources.

From this review I gather that Santino is not a reliable source on origins but is probably a useful source for anecdotes about more contemporary practice.Czarking0 (talk) 14:55, 29 September 2026 (UTC)

References

COAT

WP:COAT much of the article focuses on Samhain and All Saint's Day rather than Halloween specifically. Czarking0 (talk) 14:52, 2 October 2026 (UTC)

The three are very related and have probably been major parts of this page for many years or decades. Randy Kryn (talk) 15:04, 2 October 2026 (UTC)

How long a piece as been in the article is of no relevance. These are undue weight Czarking0 (talk) 17:41, 3 October 2026 (UTC)

I am not advocating for removing them entirely. I am advocating for introducing them but moving any content that is solely about these festivals to their respective pages and focusing this on Halloween itself. Czarking0 (talk) 17:42, 3 October 2026 (UTC)

Halloween's history is intertwined with these two topics. No undue weight here at all. Randy Kryn (talk) 23:13, 3 October 2026 (UTC)

I disagree and you have already admitted to not even reviewing what I edited it to so there is no way you would know if my version applies due weight Czarking0 (talk) 16:25, 4 October 2026 (UTC)

I concur with User:Randy Kryn. Much of this article was written through years of discussion and consensus building. User:Czarking0, do not remove sourced information from this article. What I found particularly concerning was User:Czarking0's removal of the following statement: "After the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, there were more martyrs than there were days in the year, and so one day was set apart in honor of them all, and called All Saints' Day." Halloween is the eve of All Saints' Day and information like this provides important background information for the festival. User:Randy Kryn has already challenged your mass deletions from this article and reverted you per WP:BRD. I agree with him. As such, you will gain consensus for each and every change that you wish to make to this article here, rather than edit warring in mainspace. Thanks, Anupam^Talk 01:31, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

You know I added an excerpt to the All Saints' Day to add the necessary context for the holiday right? Czarking0 (talk) 01:56, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

User:Czarking0, it seems that you are not reading what we are saying. Stop edit warring on this article. You do not have consensus for any of your changes. I will continue to revert you if you continue your tendentious editing. You must gain consensus for each and every change that you wish to make on this talk page. Anupam^Talk 03:13, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Czarking0, there currently doesn't appear to be a consensus for the changes you have been making. In particular, you removed several theological perspectives on Halloween that are relevant to the topic. Please slow down and discuss these changes on the talk page before making further deletions. If you believe that particular material should be removed, please explain your reasoning and work toward consensus with other editors. At this point, however, you are continuing to make these changes without consensus, which risks being viewed as disruptive editing and could result in administrative action, including a block. --1990'sguy (talk) 03:31, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Source review

For Morton's book I think this review establishes it as mostly RS but still points to Rogers as the preferred source. Czarking0 (talk) 19:43, 4 October 2026 (UTC)

Haunted house detail

I think the specific dates of multiple haunted houses being opened is not WP:summary style for this article. Sponsored by the Children's Health Home Junior Auxiliary, the San Mateo Haunted House opened in 1957. The San Bernardino Assistance League Haunted House opened in 1958. Home haunts began appearing across the country during 1962 and 1963. In 1964, the San Manteo Haunted House opened, as well as the Children's Museum Haunted House in Indianapolis. Should be removed or cut to just the first instance. I also presume San Manteo is a misspelling of San Mateo. Czarking0 (talk) 01:57, 5 October 2026 (UTC)

Halloween, Hallowed Is Thy Name by Smith

I cannot find any reviews to establish the reliability of this work. I'll note there are reviews of books with the same title by different authors. This appears to be an apologia of a non notable reverend's opinion on the subject and is therefore neither reliable nor due. Czarking0 (talk) 02:29, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Portaro

I have not found anything to establish why this is notable. The source is a prayer companion guide which is not reliable. Neither the author nor the book seem to be of any special level of notability that anyone who has published anything about Halloween would not meet. Czarking0 (talk) 03:19, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Please do not create multiple sections on this talk page to try to overwhelm others. Use the one section in which people are trying to address your edits to engage in conversation. To answer your question, the theological significance of Halloween is certainly germane to this article. The information is attributed to the author and the text is a reliable source. It will be retained in this article. Anupam^Talk 03:25, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

theological significance of Halloween is certainly germane to this article Agreed but I think we should cover it with reliable sources and some opinions if there is a reason that they are more notable than any opinion that has even been published on the subject. This is certainly not RS but the claim is presented as an opinion so I do not have a problem with that. The question is why is this one guy's opinion represented? Czarking0 (talk) 03:36, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

WP:NPOV states that "all encyclopedic content on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view," meaning that Wikipedia should represent -- fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without editorial bias -- all significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic. The book is called A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, which discusses the religious significance of Halloween and its observance within a Christian context. Given that the article concerns Halloween, it is directly relevant material from a reliable scholarly source. If other theologians or scholars have published differing or additional perspectives on the religious significance of Halloween, those perspectives can and should be included as appropriate. However, the existence of additional perspectives is not, by itself, a reason to remove an already sourced and relevant perspective. The right approach under NPOV is to represent significant viewpoints proportionately, rather than exclude one viewpoint simply because other viewpoints may also exist. --1990'sguy (talk) 03:46, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Muhammad's Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society

I do not think this source is warranted on this article. What is the argument for using this source? Czarking0 (talk) 03:21, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

The article discusses the use of candles in a Christian context on All Saints' Eve and All Saints' Day, so the symbolism associated with candles appears to be relevant to the subject. Also, the source is a publication from a university press, making it a reliable scholarly source. I fail to understand why you do not consider this material relevant to the article. --1990'sguy (talk) 03:38, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Fair enough, I think the point is moot anyway as the source does not verify the claim https://archive.org/details/muhammadsgravede0000hale Czarking0 (talk) 15:18, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Beeton's Dictionary of Universal Information published 1870

This source is neither reliable nor secondary and should not be used on this page. Czarking0 (talk) 03:24, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

Small coat

A kindred festival has been held by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany: a name meaning "first day of winter". This should be removed as it is talking about festivals similar to Samhain. This means that we have gone from original topic -> historically related topic -> topics related to that topic. Such topics should not be covered unless their sources directly link them back to the main topic Czarking0 (talk) 15:22, 6 October 2026 (UTC)