What is All Hallow's Eve, Why Halloween is October 31, and More
© Melissa Roberts
Halloween, a popular holiday, comes from All Hallow's Eve, an early Christian holy day, and has Christian roots in a celebration to honor the saints, living and dead.
Today’s popular Halloween holiday takes it’s name from All Hallow’s Eve, the vigil of the Feast of All Hallows, known today as All Saints Day. A series of decisions by Catholic popes in the early and late Middle Ages gave Halloween the name and date.
What is All Hallow’s Eve?
All Hallow’s Eve literally means the eve, or day before, all hallows, or "holy ones." The Lord’s Prayer, used by many Christians, contains the phrase, “hallowed be thy name.” Medieval Christians hallowed, or honored, not only God, but also all the saints who worked for God’s work in the world and glorified the Church with their prayers and service.
For centuries, Christians celebrated the eve before a major feast or holiday, also known as a vigil, with prayers, candles, and offerings to the saints. Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas, is an example still relevant today. All Hallow’s Eve was the vigil for Hallowmas during that time.
Hallowmas, also known as All Hallows, is literally translated as “Mass of the Holy Ones.” All Hallows is celebrated as All Saints Day today by Roman Catholics and several Protestant sects.
Christian History of All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween
Skeletons decorate walls and scenes for Halloween today, but the original Halloween skeletons were bodies of holy Christian men and women.
Early Christians gathered bones and remains of their dead and honored them with special prayers and devotions. Christians began celebrating the Feast of All Martyrs and its vigil during the fourth century to honor all Christian who had died for their faith (martyrs).
Pope St. Boniface IV (608-615) dedicated pagan Rome’s Pantheon temple as a church in 610. He had the bones of many Christian martyrs buried there and dedicated the church to the Mother of God and all the Holy Martyrs. Pope Boniface IV declared that all Christians celebrate the lives of the saints on the date he dedicated the church, May 13, and the vigil the night before, on May 12.
About a hundred years later, Pope Gregory III (731-741) dedicated a new chapel in St. Peter’s, Rome and moved the Feast of the Holy Martyrs to that date, November 1. Regionally, Christians still celebrated their own local saints on specific days, however.
Why Halloween is October 31?
It took another hundred years for the entire Catholic Church to celebrate the saints on one single day. Pope Gregory IV (827-834) declared November 1 as the new date to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Martyrs and expanded it to include all saints, not just those who died for their faith. All Hallow’s Eve, the vigil, was celebrated on October 31.
Pope Gregory changed the date of Holy Martyrs and expanded it to include all Christendom at the suggestion of King Louis the Pious of France.The timing of November 1 for a major Christian feast is no coincidence.
Louis the Pious worked to eradicate local religious diversity and bring a pure, uniform Christianity to his kingdom and all of Christendom. The end of October and beginning of November is the pagan festival of Samhain, known today as the Pagan New Year, and it's possible Louis hoped to eliminate pagan festivities during this time of year with a huge Christian celebration.
Halloween Today
Despite King Louis and Pope Gregory IV’s intentions, Samhain traditions such as trick-or-treating, dressing in costumes, and pranks continue to be a part of Halloween celebrations.
Catholics and other Christians observe All Saints Day on November 1, and some honor the vigil of this feast, All Hallow’s Eve, with prayer and reflection for the saints.
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