Just like Pitru Paksha, Samhain honours ancestors. Here's what Halloween's spiritual roots reveal | Hindustan Times

Just like Pitru Paksha, Samhain honours ancestors. Here's what Halloween's spiritual roots reveal. (Pexels)  Halloween's history goes beyond spooky entertainment. It reveals how seasonal rituals and ancestral remembrance have shaped different cultures.Halloween may be known for costumes, candy and spooky decorations, but its roots reach into older beliefs about death, nature and the spirit world. Long before Halloween became popular in the United States, Celtic communities observed Samhain, a seasonal festival that carried deep cultural and spiritual meaning.

Samhain and Hindu traditions such as Pitru Paksha both offer ways to explore how people remember the dead. However, their origins, rituals and beliefs differ. Understanding these differences can reveal how cultures approach ancestry, loss and the unseen world.

The Celts were diverse peoples who lived across parts of western and central Europe. They shared related languages and cultural traditions, although they did not form one unified community. Celtic heritage remains closely connected with places such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Cornwall.

For Celtic communities, this seasonal change carried spiritual significance. Folklore linked Samhain to the belief that the boundary between the living and spirit worlds grew thinner.

Also Read Think Halloween is only about costumes? Its ancient Celtic roots share a surprising link with Pitru Paksha

Halloween did not begin as the modern celebration you recognise today. Samhain formed one part of its historical background, while Christian observances also shaped the holiday over time.

The National Museum of Ireland explains that Samhain marked the beginning of winter in the traditional Irish calendar. Its customs included feasting, games, disguises and beliefs about spirits.

Clodagh Doyle, Keeper of the National Folklife Collection at the museum, discusses how these older customs continue to influence Halloween traditions. Over time, Irish and Scottish immigrants also helped carry Halloween customs to North America.

Samhain centres on a seasonal transition and Celtic folklore about the spirit world. Some modern Pagan and Wiccan practitioners observe it by remembering the dead, reflecting on nature's cycles or holding ceremonies.

Pitru Paksha, meanwhile, follows the Hindu lunar calendar and dedicates a specific period to ancestors. Families may perform Shraddha rituals, offer food and water, and pray for their ancestors according to religious and regional customs.

The two traditions are not interchangeable. Pitru Paksha follows established Hindu religious practices, while Samhain comes from Celtic seasonal traditions.

Both traditions invite reflection on the relationship between the living and those who came before them. However, beliefs about spirits and the afterlife vary across cultures and cannot be treated as proven facts.

For you, exploring these traditions can offer a chance to think about family history, inherited values and the memories that shape your identity.

You can begin by learning about Celtic history and the communities that continue to observe Samhain. Reading family stories, reflecting on loved ones or learning about your own cultural customs can also make this season more meaningful.

Halloween's history goes beyond spooky entertainment. It reveals how seasonal rituals and ancestral remembrance have shaped different cultures, while reminding us that every tradition deserves to be understood on its own terms.

Soumi Pyne is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with four years of work experience. She started her career as a digital journalist with HT after completing her master's in media and communication from NSHM Kolkata. She covers topics in astrology, manifesting, and tarot readings, and also interviews astrologers to share their stories. In 2022, she interviewed the young indigo pilot who had saved Indian students from Ukraine. She has also covered stories about the Dhoomimal Art Gallery and a few lifestyle stories. She is now a fervent reader of astrology, but before working full-time on the Astrology beat, she coordinated and published think tank stories in the HT insight section. Additionally, produced Live Mint and HT newsletters, during which she had the scope to publish news articles by HT's editor-in-chief, Sukumar Ranganathan. She puts in her best effort to make her readers justify the statement "Astrology is a pseudoscience". While she believes that Astrology is not intertwined with Science, she aims to help her readers understand that the human body can be influenced by planetary alignments, drawing on insights from Indian and USA astrologers. Outside her professional sphere, she enjoys a healthy lifestyle through yoga, journaling, meditation, running, and cooking gluten-free meals. She is an avid documentary enthusiast who loves watching BBC, Discovery, and other channels, with a focus on ancient history, space, art, and culture. Also, you'll often find her taking her pooch to new cafes and often taking short trips with her girls or her family to offbeat places.Read More