The Origins of Halloween

Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October 2026, and the US National Retail Federation expects record spending of 3.5 billion. This film follows the night back through the evidence: the Gaelic festival of Samhain and what the early Irish texts do and do not say about it, the Christian feasts of All Saints and All Souls and how 1 November became their date, the word 'Halloween' itself, souling, soul cakes and guising, turnip lanterns and the tale of Stingy Jack, the Irish and Scottish emigrants who carried the customs to North America, where pumpkins replaced turnips and 'trick or treat' was first printed in 1927, and why historians still disagree about how much of Halloween is pagan and how much is Christian.

The origins of Halloween

A pagan festival, or the eve of a Christian feast?

Samhain

Summer’s end in the Gaelic world.

Saints and souls

How 1 November became a Christian feast.

Cakes, masks and lanterns

Going door to door, centuries ago.

Across the ocean

Emigrants carry the night to North America.

A 3.5 billion night

Now a festival of shops as much as of saints.

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