Halloween or All Saints Day?

What the report says

The Observer publishes an explainer that contrasts modern Halloween customs with the Christian observance of All Saints’ Day, arguing that many of the symbols now linked to Halloween were shaped over time by a mix of traditions rather than a single origin. The piece focuses on how popular culture, especially Hollywood films and television, has helped define October as a season of horror-themed content and has influenced how people in Uganda and elsewhere view the holiday.

The article says Halloween is often associated with witchcraft, the devil and pagan imagery, and notes that some people connect it with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos. It then places All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and All Hallows’ Eve in a broader Christian calendar, describing practices such as costumes, bonfires and offering food or prayers for the dead. The author also says some customs resembling trick-or-treating can be traced to All Souls’ Day traditions involving gifts or food for the poor.

A broader historical background presented in the piece links the season’s roots to the Celtic festival of Samhain, later influenced by Roman observances and then adapted by the church. The article’s central point is that Halloween in the United States lost its explicitly religious meaning over time, especially after Protestant influence and later Irish immigration reshaped the celebration.