Should Catholics Celebrate Halloween?

Every October someone says Halloween is the devil's holiday, a pagan feast of the dead in Christian paint, and that Christians should turn off the porch light. But the word itself tells another story. "Halloween" is All Hallows' Eve, the night before All Saints' Day. The name, and the feast it opens, are Christian.

Short answer: Yes, Catholics may keep Halloween, and the best way to keep it is the way the Catholic Church always has: as the vigil of All Saints (November 1), followed by All Souls (November 2). Scripture forbids divination, conjuring the dead and every occult practice, and so does the Catholic Church (CCC 2116–2117). But a costume or a bag of candy is not witchcraft, and the feast grew from the early Christian honoring of martyrs, with its November 1 date set in Rome. The Christian answer to Halloween is not fear. It is "Test everything; retain what is good."

Key verses on Halloween, the saints and the dead

• "Let there not be found among you anyone who ... practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead." (Deuteronomy 18:10–11)
• "Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22)
• "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14)
• "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55)
• "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us" (Hebrews 12:1)
• "Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin." (2 Maccabees 12:46)

Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Critics of Halloween Believe

A common Protestant objection runs like this. Halloween began as Samhain, a Celtic festival held "on November 1, and the prior evening," when, it was believed, "the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead thinned" (Britannica, "Samhain"). When the Church could not stamp it out, she "baptized" it by putting All Saints' Day on November 1. The paint is Christian; the wood underneath is pagan. Popular histories often state this as settled fact. A short piece published by the American Historical Association says that "Our present-day Halloween celebration is rooted in Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival of the dead," and that the Church set All Saints on November 1 "In an effort to weaken this pagan holiday" (Perspectives on History, 2011).

Then comes Scripture. God told Israel not to "imitate the abominations of the nations" (Deuteronomy 18:9), including anyone who "consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead," for "Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD" (18:11–12). St. Paul commands, "Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11) and "Refrain from every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22), which older English versions render as avoiding even the appearance of evil. He asks, "what fellowship does light have with darkness?" and concludes, "Therefore, come forth from them and be separate," says the Lord, "and touch nothing unclean" (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17).

The instinct is right: the occult is real, the devil is real, and much of what is sold in October glorifies gore and witchcraft. A parent who shields his children from that obeys Ephesians 5:11, and the Catholic Church agrees. The question is whether the right response is to throw out the feast or to keep it as Christians first kept it.

What Catholics Actually Teach

Halloween is "short for All Hallow Even (All Saints' Eve)" (Merriam-Webster). A "hallow" is a saint. All Saints is the "Solemnity celebrated on the first of November," and "The vigil seems to have been held as early as the feast itself" (Catholic Encyclopedia, "All Saints' Day"). The same article traces the feast's growth:

• When persecution produced more martyrs than days, a common feast for them appeared: "The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost."
• "Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or 610, consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary."
• "Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November."
• "Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church."

All Souls came later: St. Odilo of Cluny "established All Souls Day (2 November) in Cluny and its monasteries," "probably not in 998 but after 1030, and it was soon adopted in the whole church" (Catholic Encyclopedia, "St. Odilo"). The practice behind it is ancient: "In the early days of Christianity the names of the departed brethren were entered in the diptychs" ("All Souls' Day").

On the occult, the Catholic Church gives no ground: "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future" (CCC 2116). "All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others ... are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion," and "Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it" (CCC 2117).

On the saints and the dead, she professes "the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth," those being purified and the blessed in heaven (CCC 962). And "From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them" (CCC 1032) for those who die "in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). That is what November 1 and 2 are for.

What Catholics do not teach:

• That every Halloween custom is holy. Candy, pumpkins and costumes are folk customs, not liturgy. Anything that celebrates demons, mocks the sacred or flirts with the occult must be refused.
• That the dead roam on October 31 or that we may try to contact them. We pray for the dead and ask the saints to pray for us; we never summon anyone (CCC 2116).

It all points to Christ. Every saint honored on November 1 is a sinner washed in the blood of Jesus, and every soul prayed for on November 2 is being finished by His mercy. Halloween, rightly kept, celebrates His victory: "the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Even the saints' intercession rests on merits they acquired "through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus" (CCC 956). Take Jesus out of these three days and nothing is left but fear. Put Him back and fear has no place.

The Biblical Case

1. Scripture forbids the occult without exception, and so does the Catholic Church

Nothing here softens Deuteronomy 18. Divination, sorcery, spells and seeking "oracles from the dead" are an "abomination to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). When the Gospel reached Ephesus, "a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public" (Acts 19:19). The Catholic position is the Ephesian position: burn the spell books. But a child dressed as St. Joan of Arc, or as a pirate, is not practicing divination.

2. Days belong to the Lord

St. Paul refused to let anyone bind consciences over calendars: "Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or sabbath. These are shadows of things to come; the reality belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:16–17). "Whoever observes the day, observes it for the Lord" (Romans 14:6). October 31 does not belong to the devil. No day does.

3. "Test everything; retain what is good"

St. Paul does not tell Christians to flee from everything unbelievers have touched. He tells them to discern: "Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22). Verse 22 completes verse 21: refrain from evil, after testing.

He shows the method in Corinth. Meat in pagan markets often came from temple sacrifices, yet he wrote: "Eat anything sold in the market, without raising questions on grounds of conscience" (1 Corinthians 10:25). In the same chapter he draws a hard line at real false worship: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons" (10:21). That is exactly the Catholic line on Halloween. Candy from the store: eat it. A séance or a Ouija board: never. Over all of it: "whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God" (10:31).

4. Christ has already disarmed death and the devil

On the Cross Christ was "despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it" (Colossians 2:15). He took our flesh "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life" (Hebrews 2:14–15). So St. Paul taunts death: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" and answers, "thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57). A feast that treats the devil as a defeated enemy is not pagan. It is the Gospel.

5. The saints are alive, and they surround us

God "is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive" (Luke 20:38). Hebrews says: "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1–2). All Saints' Day is Hebrews 12 turned into a feast.

6. Praying for the dead is biblical

Judas Maccabeus provided "for an expiatory sacrifice" for fallen soldiers, and Scripture praises him: "if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.... Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin" (2 Maccabees 12:43–46). Protestant Bibles omit 2 Maccabees, but even as history it shows faithful Jews before Christ praying for the dead, a practice Jesus and the apostles never condemned. That is All Souls' Day (see Where Is Purgatory in the Bible?).

Objections Answered

(a) "Deuteronomy 18 forbids it. Halloween is about ghosts, witches and the dead."

At its strongest: God condemns anyone who "consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:11). Halloween is full of ghosts, witches and skeletons.

Answer: Deuteronomy 18 forbids practices: divination, sorcery, spells, consulting the dead. The Catholic Church forbids every one of them by name (CCC 2116–2117). If a party includes a séance or tarot reading, a Catholic leaves. But a plastic skeleton is not necromancy, and a child in a witch's hat has cast no spell. Prudence still applies: imagery that glorifies demons or gore is not "whatever is pure, whatever is lovely" (Philippians 4:8), and a Christian family should pass on it.

(b) "The Church 'baptized' Samhain. November 1 was chosen to replace a Celtic feast of the dead."

At its strongest: Samhain was a real Celtic festival "on November 1, and the prior evening" (Britannica, "Samhain"), and a folklorist at the Library of Congress writes that "It remains pretty certain ... that Halloween originated with the Celtic festival known as Samhain in Ireland" (Library of Congress, Folklife Today (2013)). And the Church did replace pagan things elsewhere. Pope St. Boniface IV turned the Pantheon into a church, "the first instance at Rome of the transformation of a pagan temple into a place of Christian worship" (Catholic Encyclopedia, "Pope St. Boniface IV"). In 601 Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote that in England "the temples of the idols in that nation ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed," since "it is impossible to cut off every thing at once from their rude natures" (Bede, Ecclesiastical History 1.30).

Answer: Concede what is true: the Catholic Church sometimes took over pagan buildings and seasons, and some of the night's folk customs in Ireland and Scotland may well be older than the feast. But look at what the record shows about the feast itself. The earliest trace of a common feast of martyrs is at Antioch in Syria, which had no Druids. Rome's first all-martyrs feast was May 13, the Pantheon's dedication. November 1 came from Rome, where Pope St. Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's "to all the saints" and "fixed the anniversary for 1 November" (Catholic Encyclopedia). Why he chose that date is not recorded: the Catholic Encyclopedia reports the dedication and the date but gives no reason. The conclusion is narrow: no known document shows the Church chose November 1 to replace Samhain, and the claim cannot be proved, though its opposite cannot be proved with certainty either.

And suppose it had been chosen that way. Pope St. Gregory's own rule was that the idols are destroyed and the people "be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God" (Bede 1.30). That is not paganism in Christian dress. It is paganism defeated. A date does not stay pagan forever because pagans once used it, or Christians could not use the names of the weekdays.

(c) "'Come forth from them and be separate.' Christians must have nothing to do with darkness."

At its strongest: "what fellowship does light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). "Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11). Even an innocent Halloween looks like approval of darkness.

Answer: Read the verses whole. 2 Corinthians 6 is about being "yoked" with unbelievers and "the temple of God with idols" (6:14, 16): real partnership in false worship. Ephesians 5:11 says, "Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them," because "everything exposed by the light becomes visible" (5:13). St. Paul sends Christians into dark places with light; he does not tell them to hide. And Jesus prayed, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). A family that goes to the Vigil Mass, dresses its children as saints, prays for the dead and hands out candy with a smile is not in fellowship with darkness. It is living "as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8).

(d) "All Saints and All Souls are the real problem. Praying to saints and for the dead is unbiblical."

At its strongest: There is "one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). The dead are either with Christ or lost, so prayer for them is useless, and asking saints to pray takes honor from Christ.

Answer: The same chapter that names the "one mediator" begins by asking "that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone" (1 Timothy 2:1). Praying for one another does not deny Christ's mediation; it shares in it. The saints are not dead: "to him all are alive" (Luke 20:38). Prayer for the dead is in 2 Maccabees 12 and, as the next section shows, at the Christian altar by the third and fourth centuries. Praying for those who died in God's friendship but "still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030) does not add to Christ's work; it asks Christ to finish it in them (see Does 1 Timothy 2:5 Say There Is Only One Mediator?).

The Early Church Agrees

• The Church of Smyrna, Martyrdom of Polycarp 17–18 (c. AD 155–160): the Christians gathered St. Polycarp's bones, "as being more precious than the most exquisite jewels," hoping "to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course, and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps." And they made clear whom they worshiped: "For Him indeed, as being the Son of God, we adore; but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love" (newadvent.org). That is All Saints in seed form, and Christ-centered from the start.
• Tertullian, The Chaplet (De Corona) 3–4 (c. AD 211), on customs held from tradition: "As often as the anniversary comes round, we make offerings for the dead as birthday honours." He grants that such customs rest on tradition: "Tradition will be held forth to you as the originator of them, custom as their strengthener, and faith as their observer" (newadvent.org).
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catechesis 5.9 (c. AD 350), on the Eucharistic prayer: "Then we commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us, first Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, that at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition," and then pray for "all who in past years have fallen asleep among us" (newadvent.org). All Saints and All Souls side by side, at one altar.
• St. Ephrem the Syrian and St. John Chrysostom (4th century): the Catholic Encyclopedia finds a common day for all martyrs "in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373)" and "in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407)" ("All Saints' Day"). On the dead, St. John Chrysostom's Homily 41 on 1 Corinthians (c. AD 392) says, "nor do we in vain make mention of the departed in the course of the divine mysteries," and urges, "Let us not then be weary in giving aid to the departed, both by offering on their behalf and obtaining prayers for them" (41.8; cited in CCC 1032).
• St. Augustine of Hippo, City of God 8.27 (c. AD 415), on the martyrs: "we do not build temples, and ordain priests, rites, and sacrifices for these same martyrs; for they are not our gods, but their God is our God" (ccel.org). In On the Care to Be Had for the Dead 6 (c. AD 421) he describes All Souls in substance six centuries before St. Odilo: "supplications for the spirits of the dead: which supplications, that they should be made for all in Christian and catholic fellowship departed, even without mentioning of their names, under a general commemoration, the Church has charged herself withal" (newadvent.org).

These witnesses span Asia Minor, North Africa, Palestine and Syria, and none is reacting to Samhain. The roots of All Saints and All Souls are the martyrs' graves and the Church's altar (see Did the Early Church Believe in Purgatory?).

Conclusion

Should Catholics celebrate Halloween? Yes, as the Catholic Church means it: as the eve of All Saints. Refuse everything Deuteronomy 18 and CCC 2116–2117 forbid, and keep what is good:

• No occult, ever. No Ouija boards, séances, tarot or fortune-telling, even as a game.
• Don't glorify evil. Skip costumes and decorations that celebrate demons, mock the sacred or revel in gore.
• Go to Mass. If your parish offers an evening Vigil Mass of All Saints on October 31, make it the center of the night.
• Dress as the saints. An All Saints party puts the "Hallow" back in Halloween.
• Pray for the dead. On All Souls' Day and through November, visit a cemetery, pray for your deceased family by name and have a Mass offered for them.

The night critics fear is really a feast of Christ's victory over the devil, over death and over the grave. It never belonged to the darkness.

Come home. Every November 1 the Catholic Church gathers the whole "cloud of witnesses" around the altar of Christ, the communion of saints you confess in the Creed. Christ did not found many churches. He founded one, on St. Peter and the apostles (Matthew 16:18), and that Church is the Catholic Church. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). If you are a baptized Christian, you already share "a certain, although imperfect, communion" with her (CCC 838). Every truth you already hold is a call to the rest of the way. Christ is calling you into the Catholic Church.

Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.

FAQ

Is trick-or-treating a sin? No. Going door to door for candy is not divination, sorcery or worship. The Catholic Church condemns the occult (CCC 2116–2117), not candy.

Is Halloween a holy day of obligation? No. October 31 is the eve. All Saints' Day (November 1) is the solemnity and, in many countries, a holy day of obligation, though bishops' conferences can adjust this. Check with your parish.

What is the difference between All Saints and All Souls? All Saints (November 1) honors everyone in heaven, canonized or not. All Souls (November 2) is a day of prayer for the faithful departed who are still being purified (CCC 1030–1032). Both flow from the communion of saints (CCC 946–962).

Sources

Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Deuteronomy 18:9–12; 2 Maccabees 12:43–46; Matthew 16:18; Luke 20:38; John 17:15; Acts 19:19; Romans 14:6; 1 Corinthians 10:21, 25, 31; 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57; 2 Corinthians 6:14–17; Ephesians 5:8, 11, 13; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 2:15–17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22; 1 Timothy 2:1, 5; Hebrews 2:14–15; Hebrews 12:1–2; 1 John 3:8.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 816, 838; 946–962; 1030–1032; 2116–2117.

Early Christian writers: Martyrdom of Polycarp 17–18; Tertullian, The Chaplet 3–4; Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catechesis 5.9; John Chrysostom, Homily 41 on 1 Corinthians 8; Augustine, City of God 8.27; Augustine, On the Care to Be Had for the Dead 6; Bede, Ecclesiastical History of England 1.30 (Pope St. Gregory the Great to Mellitus, 601).

History and reference: Catholic Encyclopedia: "All Saints' Day"; "All Souls' Day"; "St. Odilo"; "Pope St. Boniface IV"; "Pope St. Gregory III". American Historical Association, Perspectives on History, "History of Halloween" (2011); Britannica, "Samhain"; Library of Congress, Folklife Today, "Welcome to Folklife Today, and…Happy Halloween!" (2013); Merriam-Webster, "Halloween".