Is Halloween a religious holiday? This year it overlaps with one

Halloween wouldn’t be the holiday it is today without the influence of faith leaders, but that doesn’t make Halloween a religious holiday.
However, this year, some families will be making time for religious rituals before or after they hit the streets to trick-or-treat, since Halloween in 2024 overlaps with Diwali.
Here’s a look at the religious roots of Halloween — and the religious significance of Diwali.
Halloween is rooted in a pagan holiday called Samhain, which was tied to the fall harvest, according to the Library of Congress.
For Samhain festivities, “people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts,” the article said.
Some would leave out food for the spirits, while others took advantage of the spooky ambience to play tricks on friends and neighbors, as the Deseret News reported in 2017. Festivities were linked to the belief that the spirit world was closer to Earth on Samhain than on other days.
Many of these traditions stuck around even after the Catholic Church sought to transform pagan rituals into religious events, including All Saints’ Day at the start of November.
In the United States, the Halloween activities we know and love today, like trick-or-treating, emerged after Irish immigrants shared Samhain-related traditions with their new neighbors.
Halloween’s connection to pagan rituals is one reason why some religious families in the U.S. refuse to celebrate the holiday.
“It’s a pagan and devil-worshipping holiday, which is the antithesis of our own religious beliefs,” explained one Muslim mom to the Deseret News in 2017.
A 2022 survey from Lifeway Research found that 13% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. encourage their congregations to “avoid Halloween completely.”
But as the survey made clear, most Christian pastors don’t worry about Halloween’s pagan roots and actually see it as an opportunity to evangelize.
Churches often host community Halloween events or offer Halloween-related activities at fall-themed potlucks.
Lifeway Research’s 2022 survey found that 58% of pastors encouraged their church members to see trick-or-treating as an opportunity to connect with their neighbors.
Diwali is also a chance for some families to connect with their neighbors, since Hindus, as well as Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, often host community events as part of their festivities.
These events are an opportunity to educate people about the holiday, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil, according to PBS.
“The festival brings with it a number of unique traditions, which … vary by the region. What all celebrations have in common are the lights, fireworks, feasting, new clothes and praying,” the article said.
The dates of Diwali, which is a five-day festival, change each year. In 2024, Diwali overlaps with Halloween.