Halloween in Western Culture
Is Halloween Satanic?
Addressing the modern connections between Satanism and Halloween in popular culture, which is largely divorced from the historical Halloween and its connections with Catholicism and folklore.
What is Samhain and How Does it Relate to Halloween?
Samhain is an end-of-autumn Celtic holiday popularly associated with Halloween. Learn about what we actually know about this holiday, as well as modern celebrations of it by neo-pagans.
Is Halloween Christian, Pagan, or Secular?
A variety of faiths claim Halloween (or at least the end of October) as their own or else blame the celebration on someone else. From where does Halloween really come?
Halloween Frequently Asked Questions
Popular culture commonly makes a wide variety of claims concerning the nature and origin of Halloween, everything from being a Catholic celebration of the saints to harmless childhood fun to a devious Satanic plot. Learn to separate the faction from fiction about what we know (and don't know) about the origins of Halloween.
What is the Meaning and Origin of the Jack-O-Lantern?
The modern-day carving of pumpkins into lighted faces is generally traced back to European folk practices of doing similar carvings on turnips and other vegetables in order to keep away evil spirits. However, such practices have only been associated with Halloween in the last 150 years or so.
Do Black Cats Really Get Sacrificed at Halloween?
Do black cats really get sacrificed at Halloween?
What is the Origin of Trick-or-Treating?
The practice of traveling door to door begging for goods and threatening repercussions against the uncharitable is a common European practice dating back hundreds of years. It is associated with a variety of holidays and events, and goes under such names as "souling," "guising" and "wassailing."
Death and Halloween
Today, Halloween is a good-natured holiday that makes light of death, as well as any number of spooky and scary entities. There are other holidays, however, occurring around the same time that are more seriously focused upon actual, real world death. Why is this?
Black Cats and Halloween
Why are black cats so specifically associated with Halloween? Along with things like skeletons, witches, and ghosts, black cats are one of the most popular and identifiable Halloween decorations. While many people attempt to create a neat and tidy explanation, the reality is it is a complex question with no easy answer.