Any interfaith minister who has chosen to be ordained in the Universal Life Church (ULC) already espouses acceptance of a variety of religious beliefs. In keeping with this message of tolerance, an interfaith minister of the ULC also knows that to be ordained means recognizing that certain holidays may be sources of dispute between religions. Few celebrations illustrate this more colorfully than Halloween, but a closer look at the history of this popular holiday reveals several intersections between seemingly disparate belief systems.

The name “Halloween,” a shortened version of the more archaic “All Hallows’ Evening,” entered the English lexicon around the 16th century, although the traditions that shaped the holiday are even older. The celebration’s earliest origins can be traced to sheer practicality. Centuries ago, reliance on a year’s harvest meant a respect and reverence for the seasons that modern observers might deem a form of worship. In parts of what is today the United Kingdom, the heartland of many of today’s mainstream Halloween customs, late October was a time for gathering the year’s yield and preparing for winter. Many seasonally available fruits and vegetables, among them pumpkins, apples and turnips, figure prominently in Halloween traditions.

Halloween also has its beginnings in darker explorations of life after death, most notably in terms of departed souls. On Halloween, the veil between the living and the shades of the dead was believed to be at its thinnest point, permitting temporary exchange between the two worlds. Superstitions abounded about the intentions of the dead, leading to customs such as masquerading in costumes, preparing goodies and lighting bonfires, all with the goal of deterring or appeasing earthbound spirits.

Halloween’s Christian counterpart is All Saints’ Day, observed on November 1, a day of reflection and prayer for those who have died. The practice of “souling,” or the preparation of baked goods as a gesture of good faith for the departed trapped in purgatory, may or may not be the progenitor of trick-or-treating.

Although Halloween has become a fixture in North America and other parts of the world, contemporary Christians differ on its meaning based on denomination. Some reject Halloween as inexcusably pagan; many others view it as innocuous fun incapable of inflicting any serious spiritual harm.

The ancient pagan festival of Samhain overlaps with Halloween, and the customs associated with the two celebrations have much in common. Still observed today by many modern-day pagans, Samhain is also characterized by the use of costumes, bonfires and treats for the departed, although its observers may have by now dispensed with a few of the supernatural beliefs held by their Celtic forebears, who maintained that preternatural creatures such as fairies were very much the norm on this holy day.

Like pagans, Wiccans observe a version of Samhain and view the event as one of the four most critical aspects of the year. This is seen as the diametric counterpart of Samhain’s seasonal twin, Beltane, observed in May with a celebration of the rites of spring.

No matter your belief system, we encourage you to have fun on this holiday and to be safe. Happy Halloween from the ULC!