A Journey to a Pagan Ritual Contents:  Introduction  Etymology  Pagan Origins  Samhain – the Celtic origins of Halloween  The Celtics  The Celtic Religion  The Celtic Calendar  Introduction  From Pagan Ritual to Party Night  Church against Paganism  Catholic Church condemns Halloween  Halloween comes to America  Halloween in America  A social Problem  October 31th “no order day”  Halloween Practices  Trick or treat  Jack O’ Lantern  The costumes  The end of innocence  poisoned candies  looking for a safety Halloween  Halloween at Home  Halloween goes to Hollywood  Final notes  Researches

1. Halloween
The American Holiday

2. Halloween
Contents
A Journey to a Pagan Ritual
Introduction
Etymology
Pagan Origins
Samhain – the Celtic origins of Halloween
The Celtics
The Celtic Religion
The Celtic Calendar

3. Halloween
Contents
Introduction
From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
Church against Paganism
Catholic Church condemns Halloween
Halloween comes to America
Halloween in America
A social Problem
October 31th “no order day”

4. Halloween
Contents
Halloween Practices
Trick or treat
Jack O’ Lantern
The costumes
The end of innocence
poisoned candies
looking for a safety Halloween
Halloween at Home
Halloween goes to Hollywood

5. Halloween
Contents
Final notes
Researches

6. Halloween
A Journey to a pagan ritual

7. Introduction
• Halloween is a typical American Holyday. Form many reasons.
• A British folkloric feast that found in American commercialism
its biggest expression.
• Despite of being associated with witchcraft for many religious
groups, the most of society tolerates it as a cultural element of
the North American people.
• Even with the religious intolerance about it, it keeps on
becoming more and more popular around the world.
• It’s turned nowadays the second most profitable holyday for
business in USA. Only Christmas overcomes it.
• I hope you enjoy the journey

9. Etymology
The word “Halloween”
derives from “All Hallow
Even”, or the eve of All Saints'
Day.(November 1st)

10. Etymology
All Hallows even

11. Etymology
All Hallows even
Hallow even

12. Etymology
All Hallows even
Hallow even
Hallow’en

13. Etymology
All Hallows even
Hallow even
Hallow’en
Halloween

14. A typical Halloween celebration in
Europe in 19th century

15. Pagan Origins
Pomona Goddess
of the seeds and
fruits.

16. • Although its Christian etymology.
Halloween is usually thought to have
pagan origins.

17. • Although its Christian etymology.
Halloween is usually thought to have
pagan origins.
• Some folklorists have detected its
origins in the Roman feast of
Pomona, goddess of fruits and seeds

19. Samhain – the Celtic origins of
Halloween
Nevertheless there is a typical idea
that links Halloween with the
Celtic festival of “Samhain”
(Pronounced Sow – in)

21. The Celtics
• The Celtic people were the ancient
inhabitants of Europe.

22. The Celtics
• The Celtic people were the ancient
inhabitants of Europe.
• During the first century b.C. they were
divided in several groups spread through
all the European Continent, from
Romania to Iberian Peninsula and to the
North until the British islands.

24. The Celtic Religion

25. The Celtic Religion
• Despite of being divided into a lot of different groups
of people, they were linked by their language and
religion.

26. The Celtic Religion
• Despite of being divided into a lot of different groups
of people, they were linked by their language and
religion.
• Like the most of the ancient peoples, the Celtic
religion was based into a great worship about a vast
sum of gods and goddesses.

27. The Celtic Religion
• Despite of being divided into a lot of different groups
of people, they were linked by their language and
religion.
• Like the most of the ancient peoples, the Celtic
religion was based into a great worship about a vast
sum of gods and goddesses.
• The Celtic mythology is as rich as the Greek.

28. The Celtic Religion
• Despite of being divided into a lot of different groups
of people, they were linked by their language and
religion.
• Like the most of the ancient peoples, the Celtic
religion was based into a great worship about a vast
sum of gods and goddesses.
• The Celtic mythology is as rich as the Greek.
• But, on the contrary of the Greeks, the Celtic rites
were absolutely linked to the earth.

29. The Celtic Religion
• Despite of being divided into a lot of different groups
of people, they were linked by their language and
religion.
• Like the most of the ancient peoples, the Celtic
religion was based into a great worship about a vast
sum of gods and goddesses.
• The Celtic mythology is as rich as the Greek.
• But, on the contrary of the Greeks, the Celtic rites
were absolutely linked to the earth.
• They had no religious temples. The rites were done in
the woods.

30. Samhain
•was the most
important festival
of the Celtic
calendar.

31. Samhain
•was the most
important festival
of the Celtic
calendar.
•In ancient Celtic
language
Samhain means
“Summer’s end”

32. Samhain
•For the Celtic
people, this festival
represented the end
of the annual cycle
and the beginning of
another one

33. Samhain
•For the Celtic
people, this festival
represented the end
of the annual cycle
and the beginning of
another one
•In other words, it
was the “end of the
year” in the ancient
Celtic Calendar.

34. •On this day the doors
of the world of the
dead are open, and the
bad spirits are able to
come back.

35. •On this day the doors
of the world of the
dead are open, and the
bad spirits are able to
come back.
•This creed revels the
supernatural element
on Celtic Sanhaim.

36. •On this day the doors
of the world of the
dead are open, and the
bad spirits are able to
come back.
•This creed revels the
supernatural element
on Celtic Sanhaim.
•Element that survives
till nowadays on
modern Halloween

37. The Celtic Calendar

38. The Celtic Calendar
• Like the most of the ancient civilizations, the
Celtic calendar was based on the cycle of the
Sun.

39. The Celtic Calendar
• Like the most of the ancient civilizations, the
Celtic calendar was based on the cycle of the
Sun.
• They had 4 great festivals that were linked to
the seasons’ changing.

40. The Celtic Calendar
• Like the most of the ancient civilizations, the
Celtic calendar was based on the cycle of the
Sun.
• They had 4 great festivals that were linked to
the seasons’ changing.
• And other 4 festivals witch were directly
linked to the summer and winter solstices and
the spring and fall equinoxes.

43. MONTH
DAY
FIRE
FESTIVALS
FEBRUARY
1st
IMBOLC
MARCH
21st
EQUINOXES FESTIVALS
Correspondent date
on the South
hemisphere
JANUARY
AUGUST 1st
OSTARA (Spring Equinox)
SEPTEMBER 21st
APRIL
MAY
1st
JUNE
BELTANE
21st
NOVEMBER 1st
COAMHAIN (Summer
Solstice)
DECEMBER 21st
JULY
AUGUST
1st
SEPTEMBER
LUGHNASADH
21st
FEBRUARY 1st
HERFEST (Fall Equinox)
MARCH 21st
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
1st
DECEMBER
21st
SAMHAIN
MAY 1st
YULE (Winter Solstice)
JULY 21st

44. •
•
Besides to arise in Old Europe,
maybe thousands of years before
Christ –following some folklorists
– Halloween has become a
popular modern holiday only
when it arrived in America in 19th
century
The Americans found on
Halloween parties a real deal for
business using its commercial
potential they spread the holiday
around the world.

45. Halloween Parade In Japan

46. Brazilian Children Celebrating Halloween

47. Halloween
“From Pagan Ritual to a Party
night.”

48. Pomona

49. “From Pagan Ritual to a Party
night.”
• According to most of sources, Samhain
survived the Christian domination and has
been practiced till nowadays on modern
Halloween feasts.

50. “From Pagan Ritual to a Party
night.”
• According to most of sources, Samhain
survived the Christian domination and has
been practiced till nowadays on modern
Halloween feasts.
• But How can a pagan ritual turned into a
modern celebration with a Christian
etymology?

51. Church against the Paganism
• "How many times the Church has decanted the
new wine of Christianity into the old bottles of
heathendom.” (Ruth E. Kelly)

52. Church against the Paganism
• "How many times the Church has decanted the
new wine of Christianity into the old bottles of
heathendom.” (Ruth E. Kelly)
• The church created the official calendar and
created new terminologies for ancient pagans
celebrations.

53. Church against the Paganism
• "How many times the Church has decanted the
new wine of Christianity into the old bottles of
heathendom.” (Ruth E. Kelly)
• The church created the official calendar and
created new terminologies for ancient pagans
celebrations.
• Christmas for example, was originally the
Roman god of sun’s celebration. (it turned into
the celebration of the birth of Christ)

54. Sol Invictus

55. Catholic Church condemns
Halloween practices
“Halloween is 'dangerous' says the Pope as he slams
'anti-Christian' festival”
The Vatican attempted to put a brake on the growing
popularity of Halloween yesterday, branding it antiChristian and dangerous.
The Vatican spoke out on the eve of tonight's ritual
which falls before the significant Catholic holy day of All
Saints.
The condemnation follows criticism from Catholic
bishops who this week urged parents not to let their
children dress up as ghosts and goblins.”

56. •These words were turned off
from a recent news by an
European newspaper. The pope
told is the present one
“Benedict 16”
•It shows that Halloween is still
a matter of condemnation for
the called new Christian Church
•But not only the Catholic
priests condemns Halloween
•The protestants are maybe
more radical when they say
about this holiday.

57. Halloween
Halloween comes to America

58. Halloween comes to America
• Before the 19th Century there’s no evidence
of Halloween’s celebrations in America.

59. Halloween comes to America
• Before the 19th Century there’s no evidence
of Halloween’s celebrations in America.
• North American Puritans didn’t tolerate
Halloween.

60. Halloween comes to America
• Before the 19th Century there’s no evidence
of Halloween’s celebrations in America.
• North American Puritans didn’t tolerate
Halloween.
• It was during the Irish and Scottish
migrations in the 19th Century that
Halloween started to get popularity in
America.

61. Children celebrate Halloween in the
beginning of 20th Century

62. Halloween Party
1941

63. People in Costumes
Halloween /1941

64. Children On Halloween

65. Halloween in America
• The ancient rites of the small villages in
Scotland and Ireland soon were overcome by
new elements.

66. Halloween in America
• The ancient rites of the small villages in
Scotland and Ireland soon were overcome by
new elements.
• America’s commercialism as soon as possible
turned Halloween into a great business.

67. Halloween in America
• The ancient rites of the small villages in
Scotland and Ireland soon were overcome by
new elements.
• America’s commercialism as soon as possible
turned Halloween into a great business.
• No more an innocent immigrant party

68. Halloween in America
• The ancient rites of the small villages in
Scotland and Ireland soon were overcome by
new elements.
• America’s commercialism as soon as possible
turned Halloween into a great business.
• No more an innocent immigrant party
• No more an inner celebration

69. Halloween in America
• The ancient rites of the small villages in
Scotland and Ireland soon were overcome by
new elements.
• America’s commercialism as soon as possible
turned Halloween into a great business.
• No more an innocent immigrant party
• No more an inner celebration
• Now, Halloween was on the streets in all over
North America.

70. Halloween Parade

73. "A 12-year-old boy has been shot
dead while out trick or treating with
his family in America.”
“His dad and one of his three brothers were also
hurt when they were shot at from inside a house
in the town of Sumter, in South Carolina on
Friday.
They had been on their way home from an
organized Halloween event when they decided to
go trick or treating while their mum waited in
the car.”

74. A social problem
• The streets celebrations of Halloween have
become a real chaos during all the 19th
Century.

75. A social problem
• The streets celebrations of Halloween have
become a real chaos during all the 19th
Century.
• Every October 31st turned into a red alert day
for the police force in each big city in USA
and Canada.

76. A social problem
• The streets celebrations of Halloween have
become a real chaos during all the 19th
Century.
• Every October 31st turned into a red alert day
for the police force in each big city in USA
and Canada.
• People really though that on this day, they
could overflow. There’s no law during the
celebrations.

77. Pranksters arrested on Halloween

78. October 31st “No order day”
• The shops were attacked

79. October 31st “No order day”
• The shops were attacked
• Residences were wrecked

80. October 31st “No order day”
• The shops were attacked
• Residences were wrecked
• There were necessity of a better police
protection in many cities around USA and
Canada.

81. October 31st “No order day”
• The shops were attacked
• Residences were wrecked
• There were necessity of a better police
protection in many cities around USA and
Canada.
• People afraid of the pranksters tried to defend
by themselves and…

82. October 31st “No order day”
• The shops were attacked
• Residences were wrecked
• There were necessity of a better police
protection in many cities around USA and
Canada.
• People afraid of the pranksters tried to defend
by themselves and…
• Some fatal cases were related during those
celebrations.

83. • All these violence related on
Halloween parades through
all North America is the
negative element that
maintain Halloween with
the label of a dangerous
holiday.
• But despite of all , it keeps
on being practiced in all
over the US.

84. Halloween
Halloween Practices

85. Halloween party in clubs
Those kinds of parties turned very popular in Brazil
too, during the last 3 decades.

86. Halloween Practices
• Most of the modern practices associated to
Halloween are very recent.

87. Halloween Practices
• Most of the modern practices associated to
Halloween are very recent.
• Some private societies created new forms to
have fun on Halloween trying to finish the
social problems caused by street celebrations.

88. Halloween Practices
• Most of the modern practices associated to
Halloween are very recent.
• Some private societies created new forms to
have fun on Halloween trying to finish the
social problems caused by street celebrations.
• Those clubs and societies together with some
government policies tried to turn Halloween
into a children’s holyday.

91. Charlie Brown
Even the cartoons bought the idea of Halloween for children.

92. Trick or treat
• Children in costumes go out knocking on the
Houses' doors asking for donations, usually
candies.

93. Trick or treat
• Children in costumes go out knocking on the
Houses' doors asking for donations, usually
candies.
• The original connotation of this, told about the
person refuse to give the children some
candies, so the children caused some bad thing
to that person.

94. Trick or treat

95. Customized bags for trick-or-treat

96. Jack O’ Lantern
• Perhaps this is the most
characteristic element
of Halloween
• The pumpkin face.

97. Jack O’ Lantern
• According to the folk tale, after
Jack died, he was denied entrance
to Heaven because of his evil
ways, but he was also denied
access to Hell because he had
tricked the devil.

98. Jack O’ Lantern
Instead, the devil
gave him a single
ember to light his way
through the frigid
darkness. The ember
was placed inside a
hollowed-out turnip to
keep it glowing longer.

99. Turnip Jack O’
Lantern
In Ireland
they used
carved
turnips to do
their Jack O’
Lanterns.

100. Turnips Jacks

101. In America the turnip turns into
pumpkin

102. Jack O’ Lantern

103. Jack O’ Lantern
• The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's
lanterns" originally. But when the
immigrants came to America, they
found that pumpkins were far more
plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-OLantern in America was a hollowedout pumpkin, lit with an ember.

105. The Costumes
• Nowadays there is a custom that remains the
same since the beginning. The costumes.

106. The Costumes
• Nowadays there is a custom that remains the
same since the beginning. The costumes.
• The costumes are the element that makes
Halloween so homogenized.

107. Halloween of 1940

108. Costumes
Children in costumes - 1970

109. 70’s

110. Little kids ready for Halloween

111. A Family holiday

112. Halloween celebration in London

113. Adults also play

114. Costumes
• Sexy costumes are
very popular on
Halloween adult
parties...

116. • Many folklorists links this tradition to the
ancient Celtic custom to wear masks to
frighten the bad spirits.

117. • Many folklorists links this tradition to the
ancient Celtic custom to wear masks to
frighten the bad spirits.
• Cause following the Celtic creed, during the
Samhain the bad spirits walked among us.
Wearing a mask all these souls will see the
living people like one of them.

118. Paris Hilton in costumes

119. The end of Innocence

120. Poisoned Candies
• In 1970s there were some cases with poisoned
candies, and even razors in candies or apples.

121. Poisoned Candies
• In 1970s there were some cases with poisoned
candies, and even razors in candies or apples.
• This decade was reported the first death
attributed to Halloween.

122. Poisoned Candies
• In 1970s there were some cases with poisoned
candies, and even razors in candies or apples.
• This decade was reported the first death
attributed to Halloween.
• “Involved a five-years- old named Kevin
Tolston, who died supposedly eating a heroinlaced candy…” (Nicholas Rogers)

123. Cookie with a razor inside

124. Looking for a safety Halloween
• Treat - or-treating survived during
the 80s, but in more regulated
forms.

125. Looking for a safety Halloween
• Treat - or-treating survived during
the 80s, but in more regulated
forms.
• The parents started to participate of the
treat –or-treat and don’t avoid candies
from unknown people.

126. Looking for a safety Halloween
• Treat - or-treating survived during
the 80s, but in more regulated
forms.
• The parents started to participate of the
treat –or-treat and don’t avoid candies
from unknown people.
• Even important politicians try to pass a
positive image on Halloween.

127. President Obama and Michele giving
some candies on Halloween

128. Halloween at home

129. Safety
Halloween
Worried about their
children’s safety
some parents
started to organized
their own
Halloween parties.

130. Some Halloween
Receipts
The creativity was
the great
differential in
Halloween parties.
• Phantom shaped
candies
•Pumpkin shaped
cakes
•Witch nails
shaped Snacks

131. Invitations for Halloween parties:
• Another popular element in
Halloween parties were the
invitation cards.
• The creativity was again a great
differential

133. Ancient fashioned cards for Halloween

134. •
•
•
•
All those practices makes modern
Halloween too distant from that
one practiced in ancient Europe.
And all of them are really too
recent that it’s difficult to link it
with the ancient European festival.
Even the modern Halloween
practiced in Europe has the same
elements from the American
Halloween as the pumpkin face and
the trick or treat
This show us the power of the
American commercialism and the
Hollywood power as a diffuser of
the “American way of life”

135. Halloween
Halloween goes to Hollywood

136. Halloween goes to
Hollywood
•The film maker John
Carpenter once said that
“Halloween” was first
conceived as a film about a
homicidal maniac who kills
babysitters.

137. Halloween goes to
Hollywood
•The film maker John
Carpenter once said that
“Halloween” was first
conceived as a film about a
homicidal maniac who kills
babysitters.
•But indirectly it created
the social image of
Halloween as a terror
night.

138. Jamie Lee
Curtis
A scene from the
original carpenter
movie staring Jamie
Lee Curtis on the
main role.

139. Michael Myers
the assassin of
baby sitters
This is the classical
assassin Michael
Myers from the
series started by
Carpenter in 1978

140. Hollywood spreads Halloween through
the world
• The movie series created by Carpenter popularized Halloween
around the world. Even in places where this holiday was not
celebrate it became known.

141. Hollywood spreads Halloween through
the world
• The movie series created by Carpenter popularized Halloween
around the world. Even in places where this holiday was not
celebrate it became known.
• In Brazil for example, Halloween became as known as in US,
nevertheless it is not a holiday yet, Halloween parties were
practiced on weekends close to October 31th every year.

142. Hollywood spreads Halloween through
the world
• The movie series created by Carpenter popularized Halloween
around the world. Even in places where this holiday was not
celebrate it became known.
• In Brazil for example, Halloween became as known as in US,
nevertheless it is not a holiday yet, Halloween parties were
practiced on weekends close to October 31th every year.
• The term Halloween is overcoming the Brazilian “Dia das
Bruxas” – Day of the Witches - year after year

143. Ivitation for halloween party in Rio de
Janeiro

144. Halloween party by College students
Guaxupé

145. Halloween at Wizard school.

146. • The schools of languages are considered
another great spreader of the
Halloween in countries like Brazil. This
is part of the cultural integration of the
learning process.

147. Brazilian Students playing on
Halloween

148. • But there’s no unanimity about these
practices. There are some nationalists
politicians endeavored into stop this
“foreign party". They dub themselves:
“the defenders of the national folklore”.

149. • But there’s no unanimity about these
practices. There are some nationalists
politicians endeavored into stop this
“foreign party". They dub themselves:
“the defenders of the national folklore”.
• One of them created the: “Dia do Saci”
(Saci’s day) on October 31th in attempt
to stop the Halloween increasing.

150. • But the most radical words against
Halloween still come from religious
institutions

151. • The image that arrives in countries that didn’t use to celebrate
Halloween is the wicked and mortal Holliday full of evil and
with the assassin Michael Myers as the main character from
this night.

152. • The image that arrives in countries that didn’t use to celebrate
Halloween is the wicked and mortal Holliday full of evil and
with the assassin Michael Myers as the main character from
this night.
• In the USA they keep on celebrating the funny Halloween for
kids, on the other hand, the “no order day” for adults goes on.

153. • The image that arrives in countries that didn’t use to celebrate
Halloween is the wicked and mortal Holliday full of evil and
with the assassin Michael Myers as the main character from
this night.
• In the USA they keep on celebrating the funny Halloween for
kids, on the other hand, the “no order day” for adults goes on.
• But the fantasies of terror movies like “Dracula, werewolves,
and Freddy Krueger are barely used for Americans

154. • The image that arrives in countries that didn’t use to celebrate
Halloween is the wicked and mortal Holliday full of evil and
with the assassin Michael Myers as the main character from
this night.
• In the USA they keep on celebrating the funny Halloween for
kids, on the other hand, the “no order day” for adults goes on.
• But the fantasies of terror movies like “Dracula, werewolves,
and Freddy Krueger are barely used for Americans
• They see Halloween as a big fantasy party, they uses
politicians, super heroes and all sort of funny costumes.

156. • A lot of movies after “Halloween” - by
Carpenter - used the same element about a
Halloween as a horror night.

157. • A lot of movies after “Halloween” - by
Carpenter - used the same element about a
Halloween as a horror night.
• For this reason the people from another
countries - including Brazil - usually see
Halloween as a dark and evil day

158. • A lot of movies after “Halloween” - by
Carpenter - used the same element about a
Halloween as a horror night.
• For this reason the people from another
countries - including Brazil - usually see
Halloween as a dark and evil day
• That’s why in Brazil, we call Halloween “Dia
das Bruxas” – Day of the witches.

159. Michael Dougherty director of “Trick or
treat”

160. Rob Zombie
brings Myers
back
Rob Zombie and
the main actors of
his film.
“Halloween”
A version based on
the 1978 Horror
classical
“Halloween”
written by John
Carpenter and
Debra Hill.

161. BRAZIL
U.S.A.

162. Final notes
• Halloween is a very popular holiday for American people. This is a
simple party night. All its original elements doesn’t exist anymore.
• Nobody goes out trying to keep the demons away just wearing
masks or fantasies like the ancient Celtics did. So its just a form to
have some fun. On the other hand, when a man from a small and
isolated village in Europe lights a candle to feel himself protected
from the wicked spirits, it’s a matter of good sense to respect him
for it. This is what he learned from his ascendants.
• For this same reason we need to respect the religious people who
believe Halloween is an evil feast.
• And for this very same reason they must respect the people who like
to go out on Halloween night to have some fun.

163. We wish you
a...

165. Researches
• Books:
•
•
•
ROGERS, Nicholas – From Pagan Ritual to Party Night – 2002
RUSSO, Steve – Halloween – 2004
KELLY, Ruth Edna - The Book of Halloween – 1919
• Movies:
•
•
•
CARPENTER, John – Halloween – 1978
ZOMBBIE, Rob – Halloween part 1 and part 2
DOUGHERTY, Michael – Trick or treat - 2009

166. The End.... ?

167. Conceived by André Stanley