If Halloween Is "Holy Evening" Then What's With The Ghosts And Ghoulies?

MANILA—The modern name Halloween, for the celebration held annually on October 31st, is a direct linguistic contraction rooted entirely in the Christian liturgical calendar. The full original phrase is All Hallows' Eve, which refers to the night before All Saints' Day.

The first key element in the name's etymology is "Hallow." This word is synonymous with holy or saintly, deriving from the Old English word hālig. Thus, All Saints' Day (November 1st) was historically known as All Hallows' Day—a day set aside to honor all the known and unknown saints.

The second crucial component, "Eve," reflects the ancient Christian practice where major liturgical feasts, especially those of great solemnity, begin their observance with a vigil on the evening before the actual feast day. This tradition, which also gives us Christmas Eve before Christmas Day, makes the evening of October 31st naturally the dedicated vigil, or Eve, of All Hallows' Day.

The final contraction that yielded the modern term occurred primarily in Scotland. The phrase "All Hallows' Even" (using "even" as an old word for evening) was shortened to Hallow-e'en, with the apostrophe formally marking the elision of the missing letters. This contracted form eventually resulted in the single-word, standardized version we use today: Halloween, meaning quite literally, the holy evening of all the saints.

So why then are ghosts and ghoulies part of Halloween?

To answer this, one must look beyond the Christian name and toward the holiday’s cultural traditions. These elements—ghosts, costumes, and the supernatural atmosphere—are derived from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (Sow-in), celebrated over 2,000 years ago.

Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the Celtic New Year, and the Celts believed that on this night, the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest. This allowed spirits, ancestors, and sometimes malevolent entities (the "ghosts and ghoulies") to walk the earth. The practices of wearing costumes and lighting bonfires originated as ways to either ward off or blend in with these roaming spirits, providing the cultural foundation for the spooky, secular holiday we recognize today.