Scholars’ Hub @ Home | Halloween’s Complex History

Join Nick Rogers, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies on Oct. 30 at 12 p.m. for his talk on the history of Halloween.

Halloween is a now a holiday without an official patron, although in the medieval era it was a religious commemoration of death. Over time, its links to bereavement, harvest festivals, and youthful mischief have become increasingly attenuated. Today, it is a holiday of spooks and consumerism that draws mostly from Hollywood. This brief talk traces the transitions of the holiday, from Celtic Britain to contemporary North America.