Days of the Dead - Hallows & Ancestors Honoured

At this time, people worldwide gather to honour Halloween, All Hallows' Day, All Souls’ Day, the Day of the Dead, Samhain, Nos Galan, Blotmenath, Remembrance Day and similar traditions. Though distinct in their origins and customs, these celebrations converge around themes of death, remembrance, and renewal, and open up a liminal space between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Halloween: A Festival of Mystery and Misrule

Halloween, now popularised as a night of scary costumes and sweets, has deep roots in ancient Celtic traditions. Historian Ronald Hutton, a scholar of British paganism, traces Halloween’s origins to Samhain (pronounced "Sow-en"), a Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. According to Hutton, Samhain was a period when the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld were blurred, allowing spirits and ancestors to pass through. Fires were lit, and offerings were made to protect families and communities from any malevolent spirits.

Folklorist Steve Roud further emphasises Halloween’s dual nature as both a time of solemn reverence and mischievous revelry. Medieval records suggest that Halloween involved “misrule”—a time when societal norms could be overturned temporarily. Groups would go “souling” (a precursor to trick-or-treating), offering prayers for souls in exchange for food. This blend of sacred and playful reflects the festival’s complex role as a cultural pressure valve, providing a way to acknowledge the mysteries of death and the unknown while lightening the darkness through humor and mock fear.

All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days: Christian Feasts of Remembrance

The Christian feasts of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) bring a formalised, reverent approach to honoring the dead. All Saints’ Day, or “All Hallows,” was established by the Church in the 8th century to honor all saints and martyrs, both known and unknown. Thus, Halloween is the eve the mischievous spirits have their moment, but they have to make way for the hallowed heavyweights the day after. As Hutton explains, the Church sought to 'Christianise' existing pagan celebrations by infusing them with theological meaning.

All Souls’ Day follows, with its focus on the faithful departed who are still in purgatory, awaiting their journey to heaven. Philip Carr-Gomm, a prominent British Druid and writer, draws attention to the quiet, introspective character of All Souls’ Day. While Halloween revels in the dramatic portrayal of spirits, All Souls’ Day invites the living to reflect on the spiritual journeys of one's personal ancestors.

Because it was widely believed that people didn’t go immediately to either Heaven or Hell upon death, Purgatory, itself not at all a pleasant state, was introduced as a sort of halfway house between Heaven and Hell. If you prayed to God for your family or ancestors on All Souls, you could shorten their sentence in purgatory and intercede on their behalf. Saints were also prayed to, and while they didn’t have powers of salvation, they could put in a good word. The Protestant Reformation in 1500s changed many things, as we all know, and All Souls Day was removed from the calendar and praying on behalf of the dead was rejected. 

Families traditionally visit cemeteries, leaving flowers and candles on graves—a practice also observed in cultures as varied as Mexico’s Day of the Dead and China’s Qingming festival. This emphasis on pilgrimage to places of memory, such as graveyards, reflects humanity's shared impulse to connect with ancestors.

The Day of the Dead: A Mexican Celebration of Life

The Mexican Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) brings colour and vitality to the autumnal period of remembrance. Anthropologist Randall Carlson highlights the ancient Mesoamerican roots of this festival, which predates colonial influences by centuries. Traditionally, this celebration took place in early August but was shifted to coincide with the Catholic feast days after the Spanish colonisation of Mexico. The Day of the Dead honors deceased loved ones by decorating their graves with marigolds, offering their favourite foods, and creating vibrant altars (ofrendas) that feature photographs, candles, and skull motifs.

What sets the Day of the Dead apart is its joyous tone. As Carlson explains, death in Mesoamerican culture was seen as a part of life’s cycle rather than an end in itself. The festival embodies this worldview, depicting the ancestors as still participating in the lives of their families. By creating a festive atmosphere in their honour, the living affirm that death is not to be feared but celebrated.

Samhain, Nos Galan Gaeaf, Blotmenath: Pagan Beginnings

Samhain, the Gaelic festival associated with Halloween, is also celebrated in Wales as Nos Galan Gaeaf, or “Winter’s Eve.” Hutton points out that both festivals belong to a broader Celtic tradition that views the changing of the seasons as spiritually significant. Samhain marks the end of the harvest, the celebration of the fat of the land, and the start of the 'dark half' of the year—a time associated with introspection and storytelling.

Winter used to inspire more fear than it does now — fear of the coming cold and of death. Starvation during winter was familiar, as was boredom, claustrophobia, depression, hypothermia and diseases of the cold. So feasts and fires lit up long nights, laughter warded off the darkness, and divination games brought glimpses of the future. The notion of the dead rising around this time was seen in the practice of porch-watching to see if the ghosts of your neighbours walked by.

In traditional Welsh practice, Nos Galan Gaeaf is also a night when families might leave out “offerings” of food for the spirits, while children play games of hide-and-seek. Steve Roud explains that bonfires, common across many Celtic festivals, served as protective and purifying forces, illuminating the darkness and warding off spirits. Blotmenath meant 'Blood Moon' which speaks of this time which was the time when fresh meat was available for ordinary people before it was salted down for the winter. Listen to this 'Souling Song', recalling a carolling tradition whereby people would go from door to door at this time offering to pray for the souls of the inhabitants' ancestors in return for food and drink, and even to feed these 'soul cakes' to the souls themselves.

Death, Transformation, and Renewal

At the heart of these celebrations lies a profound respect for death’s transformative power. As Philip Carr-Gomm writes, these festivals do more than commemorate individual lives; they honour the cycle of death and rebirth that underpins all existence. By acknowledging mortality in a ritualised way, communities renew their connection with the past, recognising that life and death are two sides of the same coin.

Each festival—be it Halloween, All Hallows’ Day, Samhain or Remembrance Day—reflects a different cultural lens on death but shares a common goal: to face the unknown, to honour those who have come before, and to find meaning in the natural cycle of endings and beginnings. The rituals and practices associated with each festival invite participants into a liminal space and time, when the mysteries of the otherworld are glimpsed.

Pilgrimage Through These Festivals

For those on a pilgrimage, these autumnal festivals offer a time to contemplate both personal and collective heritage. From visiting churchyards where your ancestors are buried and lighting candles to engaging in age-old customs like bonfire gatherings, each activity can become a small act of pilgrimage, connecting us with a deeper sense of continuity.

Honouring ancestors helps them keep the living alive - you can start by writing down their names (and your friends who have died in the past year) on a piece of paper and saying thank you to each of them for being your ancestor, whatever you might feel towards them. You can also attend special services in Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals, and a splendid Eucharist at Westminster Abbey in London at 5pm on Nov 1st and Nov 2nd with requiem masses in many churches and cathedrals (details here), including a choral bonanza at Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire.

In celebrating Halloween, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, Samhain, Nos Galan, and the Day of the Dead, we’re participating in traditions that stretch back millennia. They’re not just commemorations of the dead but affirmations of life’s interconnectedness and humanity’s resilience. As we embrace these festivals, we join countless generations in honouring the mystery and majesty of life, death, and what lies beyond.