We are once again diving into the history of Halloween! And this year, we found another significant event that occurred on October 31: Reformation Day.
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Ireland: Samhain
In 2020, our study of Ireland happened to occur at the end of October. We learned how Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). I learned so much from Irish American Mom’s blog posts. She also has a treasure trove of amazing Irish recipes!
You might not want to celebrate Halloween after learning about its pagan roots, but however you decide, these things are good to know!
Mexico: Dia de los Muertos
Another year, we learned about DÃa de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican holiday that begins on the evening of October 31 and ends on November 2.
DÃa de los Muertos, a bilingual picture book by Rosanne Thong Greenfield, is my favorite book to explore this Mexican holiday with the kids. She explains all the traditions behind the holiday.
You can pair learning about DÃa de los Muertos with a nature study about marigolds and make paper marigolds out of tissue paper.
We also watched the Disney movie, Coco. I enjoyed it, but it was not a favorite for my kids. They have refused to watch it again. I suggest you pre-watch this one if you’re not sure how your kids will take it.
Reformation Day
This year, our history studies align with October 31st as “Reformation Day.” On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to door of Castle Church at Wittenburg, a date that historians mark as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
These are the books that we are reading in our study of Martin Luther. We’ll also watch the Torchlighters episode about his life.
- Picture Book: Martin Luther: a man who changed the worldÂ
- Short Chapter Book: Martin Luther by May McNeerÂ
- Historical Fiction Chapter Book: Spy for the Night Riders
- Youtube Animated Story: The Torchlighters: The Martin Luther Story (34:27)
Why is Reformation Day on October 31?
It’s no coincidence. But a little history first.
All Saints’ Day is a Catholic holiday to honor all of the saints of the Catholic church. It is followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2nd which is dedicated to praying for deceased souls, especially those in purgatory.
Sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries, the Catholic church moved All Saints’ Day to November 1st, purposely to follow the Celtic festival of Samhain. This is called syncretism, an effort to synchronize pagan and Christian beliefs in order to ease the transition of converting to the dominant faith. Even the name “Halloween,” comes from a Christian renaming of the holiday. “Halloween” is short for “All Hallows’ Eve,” which means the night before All Saints’ (Hallows) Day.
Martin Luther, speaking out against various practices of the Catholic church, chose to nail his 95 theses to the church door on the night before All Saints’ Day. Posting ideas here was to open them up for academic debate. He knew it would be seen by many who were attending church on All Saints’ Day.
DÃa de los Muertos is another example of syncretism, as it incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztec festivals with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
After the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, many indigenous traditions were suppressed or altered to fit within the framework of Catholicism. However, rather than eradicating these practices, the Spanish often incorporated them into their religious celebrations. This syncretism led to the establishment of DÃa de los Muertos as a unique holiday that honors the dead while acknowledging Catholic beliefs. The celebration aligns with the Catholic observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, occurring on November 1st and 2nd, respectively.
Source: Day of the Dead and the Aztec Goddess Mictecacihuatl
For a very comprehensive look, read The History of Halloween which describes how the holiday changed from ancient times to the 20th century, and from Europe to the United States of America.
My kids have a burning question for Mr. Luther: why only 95 theses? Why not 100?
The only answers I can think of are that he didn’t have any more (95 is a lot!), and maybe he ran out of space on the paper!