| Hughes, Rebekkah 29 October 2014 | The night before was called All Saints' Eve or hallowed eve meaning holy evening |
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| In Ireland, it was commemorated on 20th April, a chronology that contradicts the widely held view that the November date was chosen to Christianize the festival of Samhain | Halloween or Hallowe'en, is the yearly celebration on October 31st that signifies the first day of Allhallowtide, being the time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints and all faithful departed Christians |
To Finns, death is a part of the cycle of life, and a funeral is another special occasion worth remembering.
20| But both are thought to embody strong pre-Christian beliefs | In the case of Halloween, the Celtic celebration of Samhain is critical to its pagan legacy, a claim that has been foregrounded in recent years by both new-age enthusiasts and the evangelical Right |
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| Most funerals are Lutheran, and nearly 98 percent of all funerals take place in a church |
Halloween and the Day of the Dead share a common origin in the Christian commemoration of the dead on All Saints' and All Souls' Day.
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