Talk:Halloween/Archive 16

Date of Samhain
The History section makes the following claim:

"Samhain ... was celebrated on 31 October – 1 November in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man."

However the two sources cited provide no evidence for those dates. I don't have access to the first source. However, the latter does provide a quote from the former which, while acknowledging that "Samhain" translates as "Summer's End", provides no further indication of its date. Nor is there any discussion viz. conversion difficulties between the "medieval Gaelic calendar" and our Gregorian Calendar which would make pinpointing Samhain specifically on Oct. 31 all the more fraught.

I propose removing "on 31 October – 1 November" until better sources can be found. CNJECulver (talk) 06:41, 30 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Agreed. There is no evidence as to what happened during Samhain let alone the exact date it was celebrated. Rzvas (talk) 18:31, 30 October 2018 (UTC)


 * Agreed? It's as if you did zero research. There are literally tons of books, manuscripts, history and research about Celts, Ireland, invasions, history...  get off the top ten google result searches and open a book or three.


 * Do any of those books describe the dates of Samhain or provides details of Samhain-related rituals or celebrations? If so, maybe they'd make good source material. At any rate, I'd think adding a "citation needed" tag to the date claim in the article would be quite reasonable. CNJECulver (talk) 03:19, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

Disputed - Halloween's connection to Celtic festivals such as Samhain
I believe this article to contain misinformation as it makes statements that are backed by the opinions of some, but without actual historical evidence.

I appreciate all the sourcing that has been added to back up the claim that Halloween finds its history in Samhain (or other Celtic festivals).

But none of the references are using primary sources. These are all opinion pieces that connect the two.

I would suggest adding that this claim is either highly disputed, or perhaps softening the language.

"It is widely believed..." - in fact, from a historical standpoint, I would suggest that it is not widely believed, and even if it is widely believed, that doesn't really stand as proper evidence.

Personally, I find the potential of the connection fo Halloween to Samhain (or other Celtic festivals) to be very interesting, but unfortunately all we have is historical speculation on the subject without any actual historical evidence.

~Tim — Preceding unsigned comment added by NebraskaTim (talk • contribs) 16:21, 23 October 2018 (UTC)

I second Nebraska Tim's motion above. Nick Michael (talk) 16:39, 30 October 2018 (UTC)

Since we're on this topic, I'd suggest removing the whole bit about some people believing Halloween is Christian based. Following the links (in German no less), none of them give facts or any credible evidence to support that claim, it's merely opinion from a single museum curator with zero backing. If I claim the moon is made of cheese and write 4 articles on it, can I get it linked to the Moon's wiki page as credible too? ~ken
 * NebraskaTim and Nick Michael are spot on. A historian backs this up in a relatively recent Washington Post article ,saying that there is no evidence as to what Samhain even was, and that Halloween's origins are Christian. Rzvas (talk) 18:24, 30 October 2018 (UTC)


 * Except that WashPo article was written by a professor from Baylor Univ, a well known Christian university. Again, provide real proof rather than some hack writing articles with liberal use of quotes around things like "no idea" or blatant false dichotomy in their assertions.  That article was fluff and conjecture at best.  "There's no evidence Ninja ate pizza, therefore, they don't eat!" is about the level of thought involved here.  Ironically, the author gleefully admits that Christians stole/appropriated Pagan temples and then claims it has nothing to do with Celts/Halloween in same breath.  Repeating the same lie over and over doesn't make it true.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.117.89.154 (talk) 21:22, 31 October 2018 (UTC)


 * "Except that WashPo article was written by a professor from Baylor Univ" Do I smell an ad hominem here? You say "a well known Christian university" as if it's some sort of pejorative.


 * "That article was fluff and conjecture at best." The WaPo article cited at least two other historians, and at least one medieval source, and its claim that All Saints' celebrations date to at least AD 800 is not even controversial. That doesn't make the WaPo article right, but "fluff and conjecture at best"? CNJECulver (talk) 03:33, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

References: #99. TEXT TYPO
Next to last line of the citation:

"lught" to be corrected in "light". ONG 185.176.244.80 (talk) 18:12, 4 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Fixed. Mind  matrix  18:57, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

Creative Fiction
This article is largely a piece of creative fiction. Let's not forget that the Welsh, Irish and Scots were never even referred to as "Celts" until a few hundred years ago, that DNA studies indicate differences between the three - and also that the majority of English bloodlines are not derived from the Anglo Saxons and never have been! This article may appeal to Celtic fantasists in Britain and abroad, but in no way is it a scholarly piece.

(86.130.54.169 (talk) 02:03, 11 November 2018 (UTC))

Semi-protected edit request on 5 March 2019
Halloween is a day of fun and rememberings, you go out with your friends but you also remember your loved ones. 88.14.60.122 (talk) 11:29, 5 March 2019 (UTC)
 * This is only the place to submit edit requests for the Halloween page, it is not to tell the world what you think about Halloween. Mstrojny (talk) 12:30, 5 March 2019 (UTC)

Petition to move?
Where would it go, if anywhere?

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/online-petition-to-move-halloween-gains-momentum/ https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/25/us/halloween-date-petition-trnd/index.html

— Vchimpanzee  •  talk  •  contributions  •  20:10, 8 August 2019 (UTC)

Encyclopedia vs scholarly work
This article reads less like a general encyclopedia for all and more like a historiography of scholarly work. As such it's difficult to read and understand, especially the dense history section. We can probably rework it to make it easier to understand. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Threeyoda (talk • contribs) 19:55, 22 September 2019 (UTC)
 * The "History" section is a result of consensus reached by discussion over several years. Some of the rewording you performed in this edit was acceptable; however, the subsequent edits you made removed far too much relevant information. I hope this helps. With regards, AnupamTalk 20:07, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

Major issues
This article has MAJOR issues that are, to be fair, a consequence of issues in the "popular scholarship". A lot of the supposed Celtic origins of Halloween seem to be invented by 19th century Protestant antiquarians who had an agenda to try and paint Catholic practices as 'pagan', without any primary sources to back up these claims. Unfortunately, those books that invented or misrepresented sources are valid sources themselves, both for this article and for other books... and so on. I'm not sure what the answer is, but the article itself contains several facts that essentially contradict each other or at least are very hard to cohere.

For example, the article notes that the Pope Gregory and the Catholic Church moved All Saints Day to 1 November as early as the year 835, but there's no account of how or why the Church in Rome in the 9th Century would have deliberately and consciously integrated a Welsh/Irish folk custom from the wildernesses of Christendom. A passing reference mentions that it might have been a germanic import instead, which would make much more sense historically and geographically -- but then why all the focus on the Anglo-Celtic traditions instead of the germanic ones?

Overall, the piece seems to give FAR too much weight to the Celtic claims against the germano-Christian ones. I understand why, but I suspect it doesn't line up with the actual academic consensus. Instead it promotes the popular culture/evangelical consensus that Halloween must be pagan because it feels pagan. Ariehkovler (talk) 08:33, 10 October 2019 (UTC)

the revised history IS INCORRECT
HALLOWEEN that USA follows has nothing to do with celtic pagan human flesh eating, nor any adult drinking festival of drunken behavior.

Halloween in USA is from the English tradition began in England - when poor children who were NOT dressed up and were NOT celebrating any pagan adult festival. These children literally invented "trick or treat", and that's the American tradition.

It is a child's day of collecting alms from the neighbors "or else", not an adult party hour.

USA and England's halloween became "industrialized" by candy and costumes (for children) - and spread that way to other nations that now have trick or treaters.

As far as an excuse for costumes and drinking: those people have an excuse for every day, so naming halloween - just another excuse.

I DO NO LIKE THAT WIKIPEDIA HAS CHOSEN TO DENY ENGLAND'S CHILDREN THEIR RIGHT OF REAL CREATION OF HALLOWEEN, NOR THE EFFORT TO EXPRESS HALLOWEEN AS A NIGHT TO ROB CHILDREN RATHER THAN TO GIVE THEM ALMS. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:143:400:547B:7430:F051:DEC3:2B22 (talk) 01:18, 31 October 2019 (UTC)

paganry and all saints day was not known to halloween
The children of England who collected alms "the day before all saints day" did not do so "to pray for dead", infact there are some coincidents involved.

It was a time of hunger and the children did not use any form of "devilry" or costume (that tradition came much later) - and in fact did not even realize it was the day before all saints day.

ANOTHER HISTORIC FACT IS THAT THE "USUAL DAY" WAS MOVED TO THE DAY BEFORE ALL SAINTS DAY - it was mearly close to that day and moved to that day - and those who did it ABSOLUTELY DIS-APPROVED of any form of devilry or any idea that the day before all saints day was any less saintly than any other day

the whole mirage of the industry was a creation of historic coincident (and later advertising industry) - not one of HISTORY — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:143:400:547B:7430:F051:DEC3:2B22 (talk) 01:28, 31 October 2019 (UTC)


 * While I personally strongly agree with your final sentence, content of Wikipedia articles is based on what reliable sources say. All content needs to be cited to such sources. If you can provide links to support your claims, feel free to update the article yourself. HiLo48 (talk) 01:56, 31 October 2019 (UTC)


 * Ranting without Reliable Sources is just WP:FORUM - not allowed on Talk Pages. Relax, and just let the kids in Europe, Japan, North America and now especially Australia have some fun.104.169.19.227 (talk) 22:05, 31 October 2019 (UTC)

"Spooky Month" listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Spooky Month. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Pam D  21:02, 16 December 2019 (UTC)

"List of characters in the Halloween film series" listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect List of characters in the Halloween film series. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Regards, SONIC  678  06:25, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

Synopsis seen as one-sided
The synopsis is seen to side Halloween's origins on Irish culture and fails to show other contributors to its origins (for example; Welsh 'Calan Gaeaf') the intro needs to be re-written so that it contains levelled evaluation of the whole article in question, this should be done so that it doesn't show one culture as the dominant contributor to Halloween's origins, when reading the synopsis, it leads you to believe that the Irish custom 'Samhain' is where this holiday originates from when it is only a part of it & because you can't accurately date both Welsh & Irish traditions relating to this, it should be levelled equally so that both cultures are given the representation when visitors first visit the page, why is this crucial? well, most people who visit the site don't read the whole article, they simply read the first bit and move onwards, not realising that Wales has anything to do with it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hogyncymru (talk • contribs) 19:13, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Samhain is the most commonly cited predecessor in sources, and the lead states particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, thus we don’t include all. Lmp East (talk) 21:56, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

Ah yes, reasonable conclusion, where the most cited wins the argument, makes sense.

Semi-protected edit request on 15 October 2020
I believe that statements such as "widely believed" should require some form of primary sourcing. Currently, all of our primary sourcing on Halloween etc links it to early Christian practices. I think that the speculation of its connection to Celtic or other pagan roots is super interesting, but that should have been confirmed or back up by archaeological evidence by now.

There are books that make this assumption, but it is an assumption.

Since this is meant to be a fact-based page, I recommend using language that reflects actual historical record. The historians and sources listed are expressing interesting opinions on how things could be connected, but they are not historical sources.

I do not currently have access to an academic library, but I believe Baylor History Prof. Dr Beth Allison Barr's articles are a good starting point to back my claims:

I'd suggest: -pulling the "widely believed" speculation paragraph from the intro, and consolidating that with the history section -in the history section, we could flip the Christian and Gaelic/Celtic sections, since the Christian history has primary source evidence -in the Gaelic/Celtic history section, it might be helpful to note that much of that history is lost to us (burned/destroyed by Christians?), and so we rely on the speculative work of folklore experts etc, who believe that Halloween is connected to previous festivals

If someone would like to correct me and point to some primary historical evidence that I may have missed, I would be greatly appreciative! I personally do not care if Halloween is Christian, pagan, Celtic, or whatever. But I do strongly believe that truth, facts, and historical evidence should guide our understanding and our editing of Wiki pages. I'm approaching this from a Masters level, so I recognize that someone else might be more up to date on this than I am!

Thank you for considering these revisions. ~Tim from Nebraska NebraskaTim (talk) 15:54, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done for now: I am closing your request for now, not because your point it invalid, but because edit request template is supposed to be used to implement either uncontroversial edits or edits which have been discussed by the community and achieved consensus and they just need somebody to add them to the article. Please feel free to reopen this request once a consensus has been reached (or if you get no response, in 14 days). I have, however, added an inline template 'by whom' to draw attention to the weasel wording you've pointed out. Melmann 19:21, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
 * User:NebraskaTim and User:Melmann, thank you for your comments. To eliminate the weasel wording, I have reworded this sentence to show that this is one view and have added one of the references provided by User:NebraskaTim to the lede, as it is authored by a historian. I hope this helps. With regards, AnupamTalk 20:05, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

Sources in the lead
The lead states: "One theory holds that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which may have had pagan roots and that Samhain itself may have been Christianized as Halloween by the early Church".

There are five sources for this. However, only one of the sources suggests that Samhain may have been "Christianized as" All Hallows' by the early Church (i.e. that it's the origin of All Hallows'). The other sources only suggest that Samhain "influenced" Halloween, which is very different. These should not be mis-represented as the "one theory". Most sources I've seen only suggest the festivals *influenced* eachother; only some of those go further and suggest one festival *became* the other.

I tried to change this twice by moving a reference and re-wording very slightly, but was reverted both times by Anupam, who has a long editing history on the article. Anupam says that my change needs consensus, but surely there doesn't need to be a consensus for representing sources accurately, per WP:INTEGRITY.

Also, four of the sources in the lead are in German, with no translation. I think that's excessive. WP:NONENG says "English-language sources are preferred over non-English ones when available" and "If you quote a non-English reliable source (whether in the main text or in a footnote), a translation into English should always accompany the quote". I requested that they be translated or replaced with English ones, but was again reverted by Anupam. ~Asarlaí 02:40, 29 October 2020 (UTC)

User:Asarlaí, I have properly reverted your edits. You wish to present Samhain as some sort of modern festival that is still widely celebrated today in Ireland (and you have done this on the Samhain article, which I have not touched yet). In older scholarship regarding Halloween, such as that summarized by the BBC or History, Samhain is presented as an ancient Celtic festival that was Christianised as All Saint's Day, with All Hallow's Eve (Halloween) being its eve (vigil). This is solely due to the now-outdated work of James Frazer and John Rhys; ''Treat or Trick? Halloween in a Globalising World'', authored by Hugh O’Donnell and Malcom Foley and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2008 states:

Analyzing the work of prominent historian Ronald Hutton, note that quote states "Halloween's preoccupation with the netherworld and with the supernatural owes more to the Christian festival of All Saints or All Souls, rather than vice versa." Likewise, historian Beth Allison Barr, who User:NebraskaTim mentioned above, states:

I have let your POV stand in this article for a number of years, despite the fact that it is outdated. Nevertheless, if you would like to compromise, I might suggest the following sentence for the lede to replace the current one: "One theory holds that many Halloween traditions originated from the Celtic harvest festivals known as Samhain, which may have had pagan roots and may have been Christianized as Halloween by the early Church. Other scholars believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day." With regard to WP:NONENG, please read it carefully, if a source is simply being cited, rather than quoted in an article, "As with sources in English, if a dispute arises involving a citation to a non-English source, editors may request a quotation of relevant portions of the original source be provided, either in text, in a footnote, or on the article talk page." Nothing is being directly quoted from any of the German-language sources; they are simply being cited. I hope this helps and look forward to hearing from you. With regards, AnupamTalk 04:30, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
 * User:Asarlaí, I have incorporated your suggestions and have revised the sentence accordingly, also moving the references as you did. I hope that it is satisfactory to you and is a good compromise. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Kind regards, AnupamTalk 05:20, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree that undue weight shouldn't be given to Samhain influencing Halloween as that claim stems from the mythology of "The Golden Bough". Anupam's edits and grouping of the non-English citations together seems very reasonable to me. --1990&#39;sguy (talk) 11:49, 29 October 2020 (UTC)

Anupam—as anyone reading this can see—my issue was that sources in the lead had been mis-represented (violating WP:INTEGRITY). To fix that, I only re-worded the sentence very slightly and shifted the references (see here). But you completely reverted it. My other issue was that four of them were in German, which is excessive for the lead of an article on English Wikipedia. I only requested that translations be given or they be replaced with English sources, which shouldn't be hard to find. But you deleted my request. So I was forced to bring this to the talk page. Instead of discussing these minor issues and assuming good faith, you went on a crusade, attacking me and accusing me of POV. I suggest you withdraw those remarks. You even changed the thread title from "Sources in the lead" to "Asarlaí's edits". If this kind of behavior and editing continues, unfortunately I'll have to take it to the admins. Nowhere have I tried to present Samhain as a "modern festival that's still widely celebrated today in Ireland". Samhain is largely a historic festival, elements of which have been revived by some neo-pagans and others. Its own article makes that clear. Samhain is unlikely to be the origin of All Hallows' either, as All Hallows' began independently. However, it's likely that some later Halloween customs such as bonfires and divination come from Samhain (and related festivals). But that's not what this thread is about. Now you've made a U-turn and have accepted what I was trying to do in the first place. So what was the point of reverting me repeatedly and forcing us to have this discussion? ~Asarlaí 16:03, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Asarlaí, I apologize if you interpreted my comments in a negative manner and if my comments sounded accusatory; I have reread my comment and thought it to polite. "POV" is just an abbreviation for "point of view". I was simply saying that Samhain, as presented by most sources, is discussed as a festival celebrated by the ancient Celts. I preferred my version but to maintain peace and maintain a collaborative atmosphere, as we have done for the past several years, decided to instate a compromise taking into account your requests. Are you satisfied with it? If so, we can close this discussion. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, AnupamTalk 16:23, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Anupam, yes the new wording is in line with what I had been trying to do. Your wholesale reverts, some of your language, and putting my name in the thread title were unnecessary and came across as aggressive, but I accept your apology. ~Asarlaí 23:54, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks User:Asarlaí and happy editing. Kind regards, AnupamTalk 02:00, 30 October 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 31 October 2020
o ad> 151.210.237.228 (talk) 04:00, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. &#8209;&#8209; El Hef  ( Meep? ) 21:03, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Good Housekeeping paragraph
While I appreciate the message of this paragraph, it is recentist to dedicate the longest out of 5 paragraphs Wikipedia uses to describe what a Halloween costume is, to the previous month's news article about an incipient social change in the USA. 93.136.79.200 (talk) 17:51, 4 November 2020 (UTC)

I have attempted to address criticism related to recentism via a final sentence in costumes section, as the debate around ethnic stereotypes as Halloween costumes in particular has been ongoing for decades, and thus may be entering the realm of long(er) term historical relevance. Kches16414 Talk 23:10, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 November 2020
Please remove the 5th para under Costumes, as suggested in the section above. 93.142.77.220 (talk) 14:26, 6 November 2020 (UTC)
 * I see nothing wrong with that section; it's short and properly sourced. OhNo itsJamie Talk 14:51, 6 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It gives undue weight to recent developments and is thus clearly not satisfying WP:NPOV. How will the COVID costume ban in 2020 in the United States of America be of interest to worldwide Wikipedia readers in 2040 or 2100? 93.142.77.220 (talk) 19:44, 6 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Find consensus for the removal, then. OhNo itsJamie Talk 19:52, 6 November 2020 (UTC)
 * I have attempted to address criticism related to recentism via a final sentence in costumes section, as the debate around ethnic stereotypes as Halloween costumes in particular has been ongoing for decades, and thus may be entering the realm of long(er) term historical relevance. Kches16414 Talk 23:10, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 November 2020
Please add one more festival which is similar to Halloween. "The Bengali Hindu community celebrates Bhoot Chaturdashi, which normally occurs on the 14th day of Krishna Paksha (waning phase of moon) at the night before Kali Puja / Dipaboli festival. On this night, Bengalis light 14 earthen-lamps (choddo prodip) at their homes to appease the spirits of their past 14 generations of ancestors."

Wikipedia link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_Bengali_culture Gothmlady (talk) 11:34, 13 November 2020 (UTC)


 * What section do you want to add that to? Eyebeller (talk) 15:34, 22 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Wikipedia is not a reliable source (we don't cite ourselves), look for sources in the article. P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 01:12, 5 December 2020 (UTC)

Input suggestion - The Irish origin of Halloween/Samhain with cited source
According to Irish folklore, the historical site of Oweynagat, a cave in the town-land of Rathcroghan, County Roscommon, has been known to have been a 'portal to hell'. Folklore claims this site is where 'mythical monsters and spirits' of the dead went to the 'other world' to enter the land of the living. It has been thought that this is the place where the pagan festival Samhain originated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.111.71.77 (talk) 20:47, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 April 2021
Halloween is not originally of Christian origin but of pagan. It was originally a festival where according to Irish folklore the barrier between the world of the living and dead was weakest and Púcas, banshees and faeries could cross over. This led to the people dressing up as monsters to scare away these beings. Back then the festival was known as Samhain. It was then christianised like many other irish traditions. When many of the Irish were forced to emigrate they brought there traditions with then to America where it was then Americanised into the holiday we know today 185.213.132.82 (talk) 18:09, 18 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate.  Eve rgr een Fir  (talk) 20:18, 18 April 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 October 2021
Add to the introductory paragraph: "Halloween, however, is celebrated in Kilmarnock (Scotland) on the last Friday of the month. Locally this is known as Killieween. The reasons for the difference are widely debated within the community but the difference is a point of pride within the town." Source: https://www.scotsman.com/regions/glasgow-and-strathclyde/why-one-town-scotland-celebrates-halloween-today-1404215%3famp

https://offtherecordblog.org/2020/10/30/the-origins-of-killieween-by-lilian-anderson/ 95.147.63.170 (talk) 23:16, 12 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: The lead is to summarize the article. We don't add pieces of trivia. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 23:26, 12 October 2021 (UTC)

Unbalanced on pagan origins
I noticed the article states in the lead that some scholars hold that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the early Church.[16] Other academics believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day.[17][18][19][20].

And yet this dispute is not given in the body of the article, which seems to suggest pagan influence uncritically. It even qoutes Hutton (1996, 363) identifies Rhys as a key figure who, along with another Oxbridge academic, James Frazer, romanticised the notion of Samhain and exaggerated its influence on Halloween, but Hutten is cited throughout the "Gaelic influence" section. LittleJerry (talk) 10:27, 21 October 2021 (UTC)
 * The Samhain page is well sourced as to its pagan origin, date, etc. Randy Kryn (talk) 10:45, 21 October 2021 (UTC)
 * That's Samhain, not Halloween. And how can we say these are pagan when may of the traditions mentioned date to post-Christian times? Several of the traditions mentioned in the "Gaelic influence" are post-Christian. LittleJerry (talk) 11:30, 21 October 2021 (UTC)
 * User:LittleJerry is correct as historians now teach that the traditions of Halloween (All Hallow's Eve) are rooted in Christianity. Perhaps the section on "Gaelic influence" could have a couple sentences that the supposed pagan origins are unlikely. The section on "Christian influences" could also be placed first, above the "Gaelic influences" section. User:LittleJerry, if you have any suggestions for such a sentence, feel free to add it in the article and make the changes. With regards, AnupamTalk 21:02, 21 October 2021 (UTC)
 * I would recommend that only the first paragraph of the Gaelic section be kept and then add in statements by those disputing the pagan influence (such as the statements in [17] [18] [19] [20]). LittleJerry (talk) 21:20, 21 October 2021 (UTC)

So it doesn't bother anybody that Hutton is being cited for pagan influence even though that is not what he believes? LittleJerry (talk) 11:32, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

I went ahead and made the changes. This seems to have a problem for a long time and certain people stubbornly refuse to admit and continue to push the Samhain narrative. LittleJerry (talk) 17:04, 22 October 2021 (UTC)


 * But the section isn't even about "Pagan influence", and it doesn't claim to be. The first line explains, it's about the influence of Gaelic and Welsh folk customs. Many of those customs probably date to Pagan times, but they weren't written about until Christianity arrived, because Christianity and writing arrived in those countries at the same time. Festivals like Samhain continued to be celebrated centuries after this. But it's neither wholly Pagan nor Christian - it's a seasonal folk festival. The article doesn't call Samhain a "pagan festival" and the word "pagan" only crops up twice in the whole section. The second section then is about the influence of "Christian dogma and practices derived from it", especially outside the Celtic regions. ~Asarlaí 18:04, 22 October 2021 (UTC)


 * but the idea that Samhain influenced Halloween is disputed and you're giving it undue weight. The whole section is on Samhain. LittleJerry (talk) 20:04, 22 October 2021 (UTC)
 * As I said above, the Samhain article is well-sourced, including about topics being discussed here. Randy Kryn (talk) 03:19, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
 * You can't just say "well sourced" if the sources are outdated. LittleJerry (talk) 03:33, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
 * , please stop knee-jerk reverting my edits. As I stated, the historical field is constantly changing and early 20th century and older sources are not acceptable. LittleJerry (talk) 03:37, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
 * Please get consensus for your large edits, in detail, as much of what you are changing are well-respected and accepted sources. Maybe notify some Wikiprojects and have a full discussion in order to obtain your consensus, thanks. Randy Kryn (talk) 03:41, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
 * LittleJerry, you say it's not acceptable to reference older sources and people you don't deem to be scholars, yet you haven't removed any of these from the 'Christian influence' section. That section has several older and non-academic sources. A lot of them are also very vague about dates and locations, if they're given at all. As Randy Kryn said, the Samhain article is well-sourced. ~Asarlaí 15:42, 24 October 2021 (UTC)

In Australia
Halloween here in Oz has degenerated into the same thing as Christmas and Easter. It is a heavily advertised excuse for retailers to sell cheap rubbish, priced to that it may be immediately discarded. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:8003:e422:3c01:65f2:a9a:ddce:a1a4 (talk) 04:24, 31 October 2021 (UTC)

History edit request
The historical information provided is mixed up, The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. the Celtics were the first to bring on the customs of Halloween, not Christianity. The information provided under "History" - the title "Gaelic influence" should be revised as "Gaelic origins" along with it's information should come first and the title "Christian origins and historic customs" should be revised as "Christian and historic customs" along with it's information should come right after. 2603:7000:CB01:4B84:C065:6C37:1115:CA4C (talk) 12:53, 31 October 2021 (UTC).

Awkward sentence about "monsters"
"supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils." It can be argued that "monsters" is tautological in that list, since every other entry in it may qualify as a "monster" in the common sense. The sentence is also not present in the linked source, which more correctly states, "Along with skeletons and black cats, the holiday has incorporated scary beings such as ghosts, witches, and vampires". Furthermore, "witches" aren't necessary supernatural. Kumagoro-42 (talk) 03:08, 22 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Made changes per your comment, thanks for being observant and careful about detail and nuance. Randy Kryn (talk) 03:47, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

That's great Dinginto (talk) 17:41, 31 October 2021 (UTC)

Synopsis inaccurately depicts Halloween's origin
This article heavily promotes Samhain as being Halloween's origin, when Calan Gaeaf (or Ysbrydnos) has been observed within Britain long before Anglo-Saxons arrived, and the only reason Samhain is given the platform is because Irish identity is incredibly strong in America (Where modern Halloween developed from), whereas Welsh identity is almost non-exsistent, so you have far more historians delve into Samhain because they latch onto the same research which always neglects Calan Gaeaf.. Calan Gaeaf in the article is left as a mere footnote, like a side-thought, an irrelevant part of Halloween, when it should be given the same attention as Samhain is given. Not only is this article bias towards Goidelic, the more experienced editors also discourage other editors from giving Calan Gaeaf an equal representation, my only wish in the future is that AI can read through all the 'Talk' pages throughout the site and edit wikipedia, adding such information and over-riding the editors who argue against adding it, only then will wiki pages be accurate, true and unbias.Hogyncymru (talk) 20:15, 31 October 2021 (UTC)

Which 'turnip'?
The article quotes the 'turnip' as the original vegetable carved into a mask-like face at Hallowe'en, a practice popular among Gaelic populations before pumpkin carving​ — which had developed later in the USA — became mainstream. The traditional mask shown in a vignette, however, represents a carved rutabaga, or swede, available in the British Isles for centuries alongside the related 'real' turnip, sometimes known as a white turnip. Confusingly, the rutabaga/swede is commonly termed a turnip or 'neep' in Scotland, and the confusion carries into the article. It is unclear which of these two vegetables was the more popular for carving in the era before pumpkin-carving arrived from America in the late 1970s, with the squash typically fashioned into a lamp containing a lit candle. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Humboles (talk • contribs) 20:20, 31 October 2021 (UTC)

History
There was and still are many ceremonies for commemorating the dead (Festival of the Dead) such as the Pitru Paksha, Bon Festival and Shab-e-barat. In ancient Iran there was a festival to honor the dead that ceremony had changed to the current Shab-e-barat ceremony. discovery of Masks from ancient kelmankera cave in Lorestan Province and from Arrajan the Elam period is another reason for the festival of honoring the dead in ancient time."  05:08, 5 November 2021 (UTC)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Basp1 (talk • contribs)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 29 August 2019 and 5 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Tshehrin.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 23:00, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Seperating Christianity from modern cultural festival
Some societies were Christianized by campaigns that included converting native pagan practices and culture, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar to Christian uses. There is a wikipedia articule about this Christionization

Halloween is clearly one of these events. Halloween is a modern cultural event, co-inciding with the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day and incorporating traditions from many pre-christian festivals as well as modern cinematic culture. In many societies in pre-Christian times it was common to hold festivals around the period of 31 October, halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. Modern Halloween traditions are clearly traced to Irish and Scottish emigrants to the USA - if Halloween were truely a Christian holiday it would be uniformly recognised in all Christian countries with the same uniform observances.

All I am trying to do is: a) Soften the language wherever it states categorically that Halloween is a Christian holiday, acknoledging both the pre-Christian traditions and that there is a Christian feast day. b) Re-ordering the article in chronological order, so that the earlier pre-Christian traditions appear in the article order before the (far too lengthy) description of the Christian origins c) Take the very lengthy Christian 'All Hallows Eve' and move it to a stand along article. This is important because it is genuinely interfering with UK and Irish schools that Halloween is now being reinterpreted as a Christian festival and thus incompatible with secular inclusivity. There is nothing about bobbing for apples, rings in brack, and turnips that modern American Christians can explain as Christian tradition but are instantly recognisable as Halloween to the Irish and Scottish people who have lived this cultural event for generations.

I've made a very reasonable and balanced edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Halloween&oldid=1118867585) to capture both sides, that there is a Christian festival, but also that Halloween is not exclusively a Christian holiday, but every attempt to put this through is immediatly reverted by the Christian mob who clearly given their speed have not read the edits - there is no quality appreciatation, just knee-jerk this is a battle ground and we must protect the Christian version. There is room for more tolerence. DasKaptain (talk) 16:57, 29 October 2022 (UTC)
 * This article does not state this is a Christian holiday, but that it is a celebration observed the day before a Christian holiday. It is also discusses the Christian and non-Christian origins of the celebration. Onel 5969  TT me 21:18, 29 October 2022 (UTC)


 * I'm with Onel5969 on this. The fact that DasKaptain makes reference to a "Christian mob" shows a WP:BATTLEGROUND mindset to WP:RIGHTGREATWRONGS. The view that Halloween/All Hallows Eve has pre-Christian origins is hotly disputed by historians . We, therefore, can't put speculations first. What happens in UK and Irish schools is not Wikipedia's concern. Ours is to reflect academic scholarship, which firmly places the origins of Halloween/All Hallows Eve in the Christian tradition, with people in many parts of the world continuing to observe the day in the religious manner . The article acknowledges that for others, it is a secular celebration. Given WP:GLOBAL, the article echoes this balance and the push to censor history and theology will not be tolerated. --1990&#39;sguy (talk) 22:59, 30 October 2022 (UTC)


 * I agree with DasKaptain, there is a strong Christian bias on the article and anyone that attempts to change that bias gets reverted. The majority of reputable sources online recognise that most aspects of Halloween are of a pre-Christian pagan origin, the Christian holiday just happened to be established on the same date as earlier festivals that existed long before it. It's not a coincidence that the more important day in Christianity 'All Saints Day' gets a lot less recognition than the day that is essentially just a continuation of earlier festivals under a different name. Most of the traditional aspects of Halloween do not make sense in the context of a Christian holiday to honour saints, but this article fails at clearly expressing that and just chalks up nearly every tradition as being Christian in origin. Atotalstranger (talk) 00:24, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

Halloween as a Christian holiday
The first sentence of the subheader boldy states Halloween as Christian in origin based on an opinion piece by Beth Allison Barr, the name certainly is but this manly coincides with 'All Hallows Eve' falling on the same date as much earlier pagan festivals that are much more in line with current aspects of halloween. I think this should be more fairly stated close to the top of the paragraph rather than buried at the bottom. My suggestion for the start of the paragraph (along with removing the part at the bottom of the paragraph that already mentions Pope Boniface IV). Instead of "Halloween is thought to have roots in Christian beliefs and practices."

In the the year 609 Pope Boniface IV established the holiday of the Feast of All Holy Martyrs, which was held on May 13th. In the following centuries the name was changed to All Saints Day by Gregory IV, and some argue in an effort to supplant pagan traditions the holiday was moved to November 1st to line up with the traditional Celtic festivals that were widely celebrated at the time. Around the end of the middle ages the secular and religious holidays had merged. Atotalstranger (talk) 22:58, 30 October 2022 (UTC)


 * The notion that Halloween has pagan origins has been discredited by modern scholarship. Even Skeptic acknowledges this. The historical reality belies the common notion that Halloween originated from a pagan festival so despite what you may have heard before, be open to being corrected. In reality, very little is known about Samhain. The Christian origins of Halloween, however, are supported by multiple historians including the one cited by 1990'sguy, along with Ronald Hutton, who is cited in the article I linked. desmay (talk) 01:06, 31 October 2022 (UTC)
 * No it definitely hasn't been discredited by modern scholarship hence why it is still widely regarded as having mainly pagan roots by the majority of sources, the majority of scholars agree that most aspects and traditions of the holiday are of ancient origins whereas the name does come from the Christian holiday that fell on the same date as the traditional end of harvest festivals. Have a look through these sources BU,Live ScienceHistory, Encylopedia Brittania,, and World History. Atotalstranger (talk) 01:55, 31 October 2022 (UTC)
 * "Pope Gregory III moved the date of the feast to 1 November. The motivation for this move is still debated. Some scholars claim it was done intentionally to Christianize Samhain by turning it into All Hallows' Eve, which is most likely true as the move follows an established Christian paradigm of "redeeming" all things pagan in an effort to ease the conversion process of a given population." Some scholars agree the placing of All Hallows Eve was an attempt by the Catholic Church to erase culture and Christianize the pagan festivals celebrated at the time. Atotalstranger (talk) 02:11, 31 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Atotalstranger, you should have no contention because the start of the third subheading begins with "Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which are believed to have pagan roots." The view that you want to see in the article is already there, making this a tempest in a teapot. desmay (talk) 01:09, 31 October 2022 (UTC)
 * DasKaptain, consider using a spell checker and grammar checker the next time you enter a comment. Your original post takes time to sift through based on how it is written now. desmay (talk) 01:11, 31 October 2022 (UTC)


 * The Encyclopaedia Britannica now contains user generated content, as with Wikipedia, and contains inaccuracies. A better citation is needed to support the material, which, from this discussion, seems to be controversial. Also, pop history and pop science websites are not a substitute for real scholarship. It would be better to discuss these edits with more experienced users that have worked on this page, which I see as balanced and comprehensive. Academic Challenger (talk) 20:49, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

Theories Be Damned...
Halloween is unknown in both England and Ireland, so it may have indigenous roots in the United States, likely in New England. Lord Milner (talk) 13:06, 7 October 2023 (UTC)


 * Bullshit. Halloween has been celebrated in England (where the modern festival in the US originates) for centuries and in the 18th Century was probably more popular than Christmas. I wish misinformed people wouldn't make absurd comments. 150.143.58.75 (talk) 19:27, 13 October 2023 (UTC)


 * Indeed, it is a fact supported by thousands of primary sources that Halloween has been celebrated across the entire British Isles for many centuries, including in England and Wales. However, as is typical for Wikipedia, only Ireland and Scotland is mentioned in the lede, which also states that Irish and Scottish immigrants to America took it with them.  In truth, all British immigrants to America took their customs and traditions with them - including the English and Welsh, and many more English went to America than other British regional ethnicities (something long denied but now being proven by data from commercial DNA testing companies).  A sensible person with a modicum of skill as an editor would therefore state 'British' instead of 'Scottish' - if only to be efficient, let alone truthful.  I would make that necessary edit but I know it will be undone within minutes by one of the many zealotous revisionists who dominate this resource - no matter how many sources and other Wikipedia articles I might care to cite.  82.21.19.72 (talk) 10:40, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

The lead section
The lead section of this article completely fails to summarize what Halloween is all about, at least in the United States, where I have been observing the evolution of Halloween celebrations for over 65 years. All that obscure content about its origins belongs in the body, not the lead. Hundreds of millions of people care very little about all of that. They want to know how Halloween has been actually celebrated in the past century or two, in the cultures that actually pay attention to Halloween. Cullen328 (talk) 07:55, 21 October 2023 (UTC)