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Halloween and Day of the Dead - What's the Connection?



Shaman blessing a girl in traditional Bolivian dress
Shaman blessing - Bolivia

I have always been interested in the mixing of ideas and traditions from different cultures, religions and timeframes.  One of the most memorable moments on my honeymoon was walking the Stations of the Cross at Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  It was Good Friday and there was a great deal of Roman Catholic ritual in evidence but this was intertwined with indigenous religious belief - half way through the Stations, people were stopping to visit the local shaman and take part in a beer ritual.  At the top, there were stalls at which you could buy a model of your ambitions - a new house, car etc. to take to the cathedral to be blessed by the priest.  It has gone down in family lore that I sent my new husband to buy a fertility symbol and he came back with a suitcase and money to represent travel and wealth!


ofrenda decorated with marigolds
Photo by roger-ce

One such blend are the celebrations around The Day of the Dead and All Souls’

Day in Latin America.  Associated with this is Halloween in North America and Europe.  There are many pre-Christian beliefs about a day (or two) when the spirits of the deceased could revisit earth for a number of purposes.  Some communities emphasised their desire to wreak havoc, others concentrated on the comfort they could bring to those mourning their loss. ‘El Día de los Muertos’, or Day of the Dead, has both European and Latin American origins although the biggest celebrations are now to be found in Mexico where it is a National holiday and it is possible to buy tickets to the most lavish celebrations. On this day it is believed that the spirits of the dead return to earth to visit their descendants, to feast and party with them.  Families typically build ‘ofrendas’ (literally offering) either by the graveside or in their homes to welcome the spirits home; they leave food for them and decorate the ofrenda with flowers - marigolds are popular, candles and the archetypal symbol of the dead - the calavera (skull).


With the rise of the Roman Catholic church in Latin America, this indigenous celebration became mixed with Christian theology and The Day of the Dead became entwined with All Souls’ Day - a day of prayer and reflection for the souls of the departed.  The Roman Catholic belief in purgatory gives added importance to this - the journey of the souls of the departed through purgatory to heaven can be directly influenced by the behaviour of those on earth.  Traditionally, in the Roman Catholic church, All Souls' Day is the third day of Allhallowtide, after All Saints' Day (1 November) and All Hallows' Eve (31 October).


All Saints’ Day (1st November) is an important day in the church year, acknowledged by both the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions which commemorates all the saints of the church - both known and unknown.  It has its origins in the early history of the church when feasts were established to commemorate the souls of the martyrs - those who lost their lives due to their Christian faith. All Hallows’ Eve refers to the traditional celebration the night before All Saints Day when worshippers would prepare themselves for the feast day ahead by taking part in contemplative prayer and fasting.  Today’s Halloween celebrations are widely thought to be a blend of the Christian festival of All Hallow’s Eve and pre-Christian harvest celebrations.  Many scholars consider it likely that early Church leaders chose to adopt and adapt local customs into the church to ease the process of conversion.  The same principle applies to the Christmas festival, originally the Roman midwinter festival.  Some Christians choose not to partake in what they consider to be ‘pagan’ rituals and will either hold an alternative halloween party or not engage at all.  Fewer take the same stance over Christmas (although famously the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas), perhaps because the assimilation of Christian theology has been more comprehensive with this festival, celebrating as it does the birth of Christ.


Lond house door decorated with pumpkins
Photo by Andrei-ivanovskii

Halloween today has evolved further still to become a celebration of horror; no other time of year would children be encouraged to knock on the doors of strangers to collect sweets!  In Britain the rituals continue to develop with more and more commercialisation.  At least today, it is usually easy to spot the houses taking part! 


As an independent celebrant, I relish the opportunity to create unique bespoke rituals and ceremonies that reflect a combination of your beliefs, reflect elements of your culture and where desired combine religious and secular elements.  Reflecting on the centuries of amalgamated beliefs, it's good to know that I am in good company in this pursuit.  


By Catrina Young, Leicestershire Heart-led celebrant, Marking Life’s Moments.

© Hardingstone Ceremonies, October, 2024


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