Answer by Carolina Amor, Pagan Priestess and founder of Circulo de Isis
Halloween is based on a Pagan holiday called Samhain. Pagans celebrate what is called the Wheel of the Year or the Sabbats. This Wheel includes eight holidays and one of them is Samhain (pronounced Sow-in). Samhain marks the point when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest so it allows for spirit communication. This is one of the reasons why it is the time for celebrating our ancestral roots and honoring our ancestors. It is also believed that during this time, spirits walk the earth among the living so people would use jack-o´-lanterns to scare the spirits away so they would not enter your home. Masks are another tradition for Samhain as it distracted the spirits and they would not be able to tell who is who. In Goddess Spirituality, this is the time of the Wise Woman Crone, she is the one who stirs the cauldron of transformation where the souls go to be reborn again in Yule (the Winter Solstice). Samhain is also known as the Day of the Dead in some traditions. Honoring the people who have passed away and communicating with them is very important during this time. It is also a great time to cast oracles and use divination. Even though Halloween may seem as commercial holiday, it is rooted in the Pagan tradition and it is one of the most popular holidays in the Pagan community as it marks the Pagan New Year.
Learn more about the Pagan holiday Samhain:
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