Background information and history
Origins of Halloween
Halloween started as a Celtic pagan festival marking the dying of the bright half of the year and the beginning of winter. In the ninth century the Church transferred the festival of All Hallows Day from 13 May to 1 November. Some of the Celtic themes became associated with the Christian festival (light, darkness, death, resurrection, good and evil) whilst other themes (fire, human sacrifice) remain detached but were later assumed into Bon Fire night and the much later Gun Powder Plot.
We now think of Halloween (31 October) and All Hallows/Saints (1 November) as occurring on two consecutive days. However, the idea that the day begins at midnight is relatively recent and most religious calendars (Christian, Islamic, Hebrew etc) follow the ancient practice of beginning the day at dusk (so, Sunday would begin at sunset on Saturday – which becomes Sunday evening - and run until dusk on Sunday - when Monday evening begins). Hence the Church begins its Christmas Day (25 Dec) celebrations on Christmas Eve(ning) (24 Dec). All Hallows Eve or Halloween in liturgical (Church) time is therefore the same day as All Hallows (All Saints) and the various traditions of fire and light inherited from Celtic tradition were the ways in which Christians began their celebration of All Saints day.
There has always been confusion between the celebration of the victorious saints (in heaven) and the commemoration/celebration of the dead. (‘saints’ as opposed to ‘Saints’, is a generic term for Christians, living and dead). There have been various attempts to separate the two themes (for example by a separate celebration of All Souls Day/Commemoration of the Faithful Departed on 2 November) but both are interlinked in Christian thought. The difference lies predominantly in the tone of the celebrations – All Saints victory and promise, All Souls mourning but promise.
In the UK most of the modern practices around Halloween are the result of the amalgamation of various traditions (not necessarily originally from Halloween) that took place in the USA among immigrant communities from the British Isles which were re-imported in the latter half of the C20th.
The common themes are (victory over) death and resurrection, and common symbols are light (candles) and fire.
Key points are:
Baptism – renewal of life and aspiring to be saints
Bringing older children into church and to be central to worship