Allhallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, (And Reformation Day)
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, November 2, 2026 (Donate)
In Medieval times, All Saints Day was like Christmas
is today! It was huge. Today, most people have forgotten All Saints Day
or the three-day festival surrounding it. Throughout Christian history, several
observances have developed around October 31 through November 2.
Although these days are associated with Christianity, their
origins, purposes, and practices differ considerably. Let’s look more closely
at these days.
All Hallows' Eve (October 31)
All Hallows' Eve, commonly called Hallow’een
or Halloween,
occurs on October 31, the evening before All Saints' Day. The word
"hallow" is an older English term meaning "holy" or
"saint." Thus, All Hallows' Eve literally means the evening
before All Saints' Day. It’s kind of like the way Christmas Eve
is to Christmas.
Over time, various European folk customs from the Day of
the Dead which was also October 31-November 1 (more on this in a moment) became
associated with the evening, including costumes, bonfires, and traditions
concerning death and spirits. Some customs have been linked to pre-Christian
(anti-Christian) festivals such as Samhain, although the historical
connections are still debated.
Today, Halloween is largely celebrated as a non-Christian
“holiday” in many Western countries, often with activities that differ
considerably from its Christian liturgical origins.
All Saints' Day (November 1)
All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows' Day,
honors Christians who have died, particularly those recognized as saints. This observance
developed in the early church, with November 1 becoming established in Western
Christianity during the early medieval period.
It’s really a day to observe and remember faithful
Christians current and in some sense throughout history. From a biblical
perspective, the New Testament frequently refers to living believers as
"saints" (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1). Thus,
sainthood wasn’t limited to a special class of Christians or those who have died.
All Souls' Day (November 2)
All Souls' Day is observed primarily to remember the
faithful departed. One this day, Roman Catholics spend a lot of time praying
for those in “purgatory”, while Christians largely reject this practice as unbiblical
Protestants rightly reject this practice, and we point out
that Scripture doesn’t establish purgatory or instruct Christians to pray for
the dead—instead pray to God alone! Hebrews 9:27 shows that judgment follows
death, while Hebrews 10:14 reveals the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice for
those of us being sanctified in our holiness. Together, October 31 through
November 2 are sometimes called Allhallowtide.
Reformation Day (October 31)
Reformation Day commemorates the beginning of the
Protestant Reformation, traditionally dated to October 31, 1517, when Martin
Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses were nailed to the door of the church in
Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther challenged the sale and misuse of indulgences, challenged
purgatory biblically, both of which were associated with the remission of
temporal punishment for sins, including punishment that supposedly remain after
death.
Why October 31?
Luther's choice of October 31 was chosen because the
following day was All Saints' Day. Everyone would see it coming to
church—the biggest festival of the times! Wittenberg's Castle Church housed an
extensive collection of relics, which attracted pilgrims seeking indulgences
associated with their veneration.
By circulating his theses immediately before All Saints'
Day, Luther addressed practices particularly relevant to the approaching
celebration. Whether he physically nailed the theses to the church door remains
historically debated—but they made their way there nonetheless.
The Reformation is a time to remember the Five Solas and
mainly that salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It also is a reminder
of the authority of Scripture, and the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work.
Samhain: The Celtic Day Of The Dead And Its Relationship To Christian Holidays
Samhain (pronounced "SOW-in") was an
ancient Celtic festival that was basically their Day of the Dead (Mexico
and many others also have a Day of the Dead, Ghost Festival, Obon, etc.).
And it was traditionally observed around October 31 or November 1. It was
particularly associated with Ireland, Scotland, and other Celtic regions of the
Northwest part of Europe.
Samhain was their celebration of the boundary between
the living and the dead. Traditions included lighting bonfires, communal
gatherings, sacrifice (even human sacrifices), and beliefs concerning spirits
or supernatural beings. Some later customs involved disguises and offerings
intended to appease or discourage wandering spirits.
As Christianity spread into these regions and enlightened
them, Christian observances and existing folk traditions increasingly
interacted and essentially mixed or syncretized. All Saints' Day
(November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2) eventually became
associated with the same seasonal period—and naturally Halloween
still retains a reflection of all that.
All Hallows' Eve (October 31) subsequently became
associated with mixed-pagan customs that reflected both Christian traditions
and older European paganism of the early Celts. Some Halloween practices
might even have connections to Samhain, although their precise origins
are uncertain due to the lack of documentation.[1]
As a point of clarification, Reformation Day (October
31, 1517) was unrelated to Samhain though. Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses
addressed indulgences and unbiblical church practices and had its largest reach
the day before All Saints' Day.
Conclusion
All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls'
Day were based on Christian traditions about saints, death, and
remembrance. Reformation Day, however, is about challenging unbiblical
ideas and practices that crept into the church and how to remedy it.
For Protestant Christians, October 31 is a great reminder of
the importance of returning to Scripture and knowing of Christ's finished work
as sufficient for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
