Saturday Halloween

Halloween is observed on October 31, no matter what day of the week it falls on. But should the holiday be moved permanently to Saturdays, as many advocates want?

Halloween has a long history. In Europe and North America, observance of the holiday is mainly nonreligious, celebrated with parties, spooky costumes, carved jack-o’-lanterns, and the giving of candy. Although famous for these secular traditions, the holiday also has deep Pagan and religious roots. As Encyclopaedia Britannica explains, Halloween may have developed, at least partially, from the pre-Christian holiday Samhain, which was celebrated in early medieval Ireland around November 1 as the beginning of a new year. In ancient Celtic (Irish) religion, Samhain was “one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain . . . the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshipers; it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes.” [27] [41] [43]

During the Samhain festival, the souls of the dead were believed to return to visit their homes. Folks lit bonfires on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the visiting ghosts, giving rise to the tradition of wearing costumes on the holiday. They also carved demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away and confuse the spirits. The holiday was largely banned in the American colonies, because it was seen as a Pagan, anti-Christian holiday; some contemporary Christian groups and parents ban the holiday for the same reason. Practitioners of Wicca, the largest modern Pagan religion, continue to celebrate Samhain; many Wiccans identify as witches.[41] [43] [44]

When Irish immigrants moved to the United States in large numbers in the 19th century, they brought their holiday carving tradition with them. However, they now carved jack-o’-lanterns not out of turnips but from pumpkins, which are native to North America. The “Jack” in jack-o’-lantern, as Britannica explains, refers to Stingy Jack, who in Irish mythology “tricked the Devil for his own monetary gain. When Jack died, God refused his entrance into heaven, and the Devil didn’t allow him into hell, so Jack was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity.” Jack had only an ember from the Devil to light his way through the darkness of the world—Jack placed the ember in a carved-out turnip, creating a lantern of sorts and earning the nickname Jack of the Lantern. Scary “jack-o’lanterns” were then carved during the holiday to ward off Jack’s lingering spirit.[41] [43] [45]

Likely to counter the popularity of Halloween and its secular traditions, the Christian church moved All Saints’ Dayfrom May 13 to November 1, perhaps in an effort to replace the Pagan holiday with a Christian celebration. The evening before All Saints’ Day therefore became a holy (“hallowed”) eve (meaning the day before something), from which the word “Halloween” derived. The holiday, then, marks the beginning of “Allhallotide,” a three-day Christian triduum (a three-day holy period) dedicated to remembering the dead that begins with All Hallows’ Eve (another name for Halloween, October 31), followed by All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2).[27] [39] [40] [42]

In the United States, according to tradition, children (often accompanied by parents and pets) dress up in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, saying “trick or treat” to receive candy; if a person doesn’t give a treat, the person may receive a “trick,” or a prank, instead. Some would like to see Halloween held on a Saturday every year to better ensure the safety of the children, so the parading children could start earlier in the day, during daylight hours, instead of early evening after school; some have even petitioned the U.S. president for the Saturday holiday via change.org. However, others point out that the federal government doesn’t have the ability to make that change because Halloween isn’t a federal holiday.[1] [2] [3]

According to the National Retail Federation, which tracks consumer habits, 73% of Americans were expected to celebrate Halloween in 2025 (69% did so in 2022), spending $114 per person ($108 in 2023) for a total national spend of $13.1 billion ($12.2 billion in 2023). Of the $13.1 billion spent nationwide on the holiday, $4.3 billion was spent on costumes, $4.2 billion on decorations, $3.9 billion on candy, and $0.7 billion on greeting cards. [36] [37] [38] [40]

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Discussion questions

1. Should Halloween be moved to Saturday? Why or why not?
2. Would moving Halloween to Saturday make the holiday safer or more unsafe? Explain your answer.
3. If you’re a student, would moving Halloween to a Saturday be less distractive for schools? Would it be better for the students who, for whatever reason, don’t celebrate the holiday?
4. Would moving Halloween to Saturday be disrespectful? Why or why not?
5. What questions do you have after reading the debate above? Where might you find answers?
6. What was the most interesting thing you learned from this debate?
7. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? How and why?. If your thoughts have not changed, explain how and why you better understand the other side of the debate.
8. Push for the position and policies you support by writing local officials, U.S. senators and representatives, or other people in a position to make the change you champion.