As Halloween and Día de los Muertos come around, we dive into costumes, candy, pumpkins, and altars, surrounded by festive decor. But why do these celebrations both honor the dead, and why do they happen at the same time of year? And what does this season reveal about humanity’s relationship with life, death, and what lies beyond?
For me, as someone drawn to ancient sites and traditions, Halloween and Día de los Muertos represent a unique blend of cultural expressions and beliefs about life and the spirit world. Though they come from two very different worlds, both reveal how we’ve found ways to honor our ancestors, confront mortality, and celebrate life through tradition.
Let’s explore how these two holidays, despite their distinct origins, have converged and evolved together to reveal a shared understanding of life, death, and the unseen.
Halloween: Mystical Beginnings in the Celtic World
Halloween’s story begins thousands of years ago in Northern Europe, among the ancient Celts, who celebrated a festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) on October 31. Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, a season where the natural world appeared to slow down and turn inward. In this environment of misty landscapes and fading warmth, the Celts believed that the line between the living and spirit worlds grew thin, allowing the dead to cross over.
But Samhain wasn’t just a casual celebration. It was a time when people would don animal-skin costumes, light bonfires, and conduct rituals to ward off or appease spirits they believed wandered freely during this liminal time. The celebration was about navigating the unknown—honoring the departed while protecting themselves from any mischievous or malevolent spirits that might visit. The jack-o’-lanterns we carve today, for example, evolved from the Celtic practice of carving turnips with faces to guard homes against spirits.
This mystical festival eventually evolved into Halloween as it merged with Christian traditions, transforming from a protective, spirit-centric holiday to one filled with costumes, candy, and community. Yet, Halloween still carries echoes of Samhain’s reverence for mystery, fear, and the unknown.
Día de los Muertos: Vibrant Celebrations in Mesoamerica
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica—like the Aztecs—had their own ways of honoring the dead, rooted in a very different seasonal setting. In August, during the lush, rainy season, the Aztecs held a month-long festival called Xocotl Huetzi, or the Great Feast of the Dead. The world around Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) was green and abundant, reflecting nature’s peak growth before winter. Rather than fearing the spirits, Mesoamerican cultures welcomed them, inviting ancestors back to celebrate.
During this festival, people created elaborate altars filled with food, marigolds, and incense, setting the stage for their ancestors’ return. Marigold petals, with their bright orange hue and scent, were thought to guide spirits back, symbolizing life, warmth, and remembrance. The Aztecs saw death not as an end, but as part of the natural cycle, integrating it into their world as something to be celebrated. Día de los Muertos as we know it today continues this legacy of joyous remembrance, honoring ancestors with music, food, and festive gatherings.
The Convergence: How These Traditions Came Together
So, how did these two distinct celebrations, born from vastly different landscapes and mindsets, end up aligning on the same calendar dates? The answer lies in colonial history. When Spanish colonizers arrived in Mexico, they brought Catholic traditions with them, such as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, celebrated on November 1 and 2. Over time, these holidays merged with Indigenous beliefs, shifting the date of the Aztec celebrations and blending European and Mesoamerican traditions.
Similarly, in Europe, Samhain was adapted into Christian practice, becoming All Hallows’ Eve and eventually Halloween. This fusion of Indigenous and Christian traditions created a shared timeframe for honoring the dead, blending the protective, mystical elements of Samhain with the vibrant, life-affirming practices of Día de los Muertos.
A Season of Reflection and Shared Understanding
Halloween and Día de los Muertos aren’t the only traditions tied to honoring the dead in autumn. In many parts of the world, people feel compelled to connect with the spirit world during this season, often as harvest concludes and nature begins to turn inward:
- Japan’s Obon Festival: Obon, celebrated in August, is a time when families welcome back ancestral spirits with lanterns and dances, celebrating their presence in a way similar to Día de los Muertos.
- China’s Ghost Festival: In late summer, people offer food and incense to wandering spirits to ensure peace, in a practice that acknowledges the cycle of life and death.
- Cambodia’s Pchum Ben: In September, Cambodian families bring food to temples to honor their ancestors, maintaining a relationship with the departed that transcends physical death.
Each of these traditions aligns with a period of seasonal transition, whether at the end of summer or as autumn deepens. This time of year, with its cooling temperatures and darker days, naturally invites reflection on mortality and the unseen.
Why We’re Drawn to Party with the Beyond
So, why do these traditions hold such a powerful appeal across cultures and centuries? These celebrations provide a way for us to grapple with questions about life, death, and what lies beyond. They allow us to honor those who came before us and consider our own place in the vast, cyclical nature of existence.
Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and similar festivals are celebrations of life in the face of death, reminders that even as seasons change and things pass away, we remain connected to the past. The vibrant altars, costumes, lanterns, and dances all bring us together in a way that transcends culture and history. They reflect a shared human understanding of impermanence and mystery, bridging worlds and bringing meaning to the cycles of life.
So, as you carve pumpkins, dress up, or set up an altar, take a moment to reflect on what these traditions represent. We’re honoring life, connecting with our roots, and celebrating the wonder that lies beyond. Happy Halloween, Feliz Día de los Muertos or however you may dance with the beyond in this time of year—and here’s to a season of reflection, connection, and celebration.
Check out the Video on my Explorer Albert YouTube Channel