Commentary 25/10/31 From Halloween to All Saints: A journey from fear to faith

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'Holywins’ has emerged as a joyful Christian alternative to Halloween, turning a secular festival into a moment of faith

Children take part in 'Holywins' as a joyful Christian alternative to Halloween in some places in Vietnam and around the world. (Photo: Facebook)

By Joseph Pham Dinh Ngoc

Published: October 30, 2025 11:18 AM GMT

Updated: October 30, 2025 11:19 AM GMT

Every year on Oct. 31, streets around the world — and increasingly across Vietnam — come alive with glowing pumpkin lanterns, eerie music, and children laughing in ghostly costumes.

What began as a Western folk festival has become a familiar scene here too, mixing amusement, color, and mystery.

For Christians, this celebration often raises deeper questions. Why does All Saints’ Day follow immediately after Halloween? Are the two feasts in opposition — one seemingly honoring darkness, the other celebrating holiness?

Or behind the masks and laughter, there is still a sacred story about death, life, and eternal hope.

The fear behind the mask

Halloween and All Saints’ Day are not entirely separate. One reflects the human fear of death, the other reveals the light of eternal life. Together they trace a journey — from fear to faith, from darkness to light.

The word Halloween comes from All Hallows’ Eve, meaning the “Vigil of All Saints.” In early Christian Europe, the faithful prayed through the night of Oct. 31, remembering the dead before celebrating the saints on Nov. 1. But as centuries passed, that religious meaning was slowly lost.

Folk traditions took over, blending ancient Celtic customs in Gaudete et Exultate: “God wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence.”

The joy of All Saints’ Day is not only in honoring them but in realizing that their journey is also ours. Despite our weakness and sin, God calls us each day to renewal, inviting us to reflect His light in the world.

From darkness to faith

Halloween and All Saints’ Day reveal two sides of one mystery: death and life. One shows humanity’s fear of the darkness; the other opens our eyes to God’s light. Halloween reminds us that death is real. All Saints’ Day assures us that it is not the end.

Modern society often tries to ignore death — hiding it beneath costumes, horror movies, or jokes. Yet Christian faith invites us to face it, not with fear but with trust. Standing before the graves of loved ones, we remember not only their absence but also our hope in the resurrection.

St. Francis of Assisi called death “Sister Death,” greeting her not with terror but peace, because he saw her as the gateway to God’s love. That perspective changes everything: faith does not deny death, but transforms it.

Today, many parishes are trying to restore this original meaning. In some places in Vietnam and others around the world, children now take part in “Holywins” as a joyful Christian alternative to Halloween. 

Dressed as saints, angels, or biblical figures, they learn that goodness is stronger than evil, and that holiness can also be joyful. It is the Church’s quiet way of turning a secular festival into a moment of faith.

The following day, Nov. 2, the Church observes All Souls’ Day — a time to pray for the departed and to enter the mystery of the Communion of Saints. The living and the dead remain bound by love and prayer. When we pray for those who have died, we affirm our faith in God’s mercy and in the life to come.

That faith casts light even on Halloween's shadows. The glow of the Resurrection reaches into cemeteries and over every grave.

From Halloween to All Saints’ Day is the Christian path of transformation: from fear to hope, from disguise to truth, from darkness to light. Halloween reminds us that evil and death still exist, but All Saints’ Day declares that light is stronger than darkness, love stronger than death, and faith stronger than fear.

At its heart, this is what the two days together reveal: there is no darkness so deep that the light of God cannot break through.

Joseph Pham Dinh Ngoc is a Jesuit priest in Ho Chi Minh City. This commentary, first published in the Vietnamese-language publication https://hdgmvietnam.com/, was summarized, translated, and edited by UCA News. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.