Should the Observance Date of Halloween Be Changed?

Black cats, orange pumpkins, costumes and trick-or-treating are all part of the traditions that society thinks of as Halloween. Observing Halloween on October 31st is also a part of the tradition and origin of Halloween dating back Celtic times.

A Brief History
Halloween is the night before All Saint's Day or All Hallow's Day and was aptly called Hallow E'en (hallow evening). In Celtic Ireland during the 5th century BC summer officially ended on October 31. It is also celebrated as the eve of the new year on the Gregorian calendar and many pagan religions celebrate it as such, Wiccan being one such religion. In the pagan cultures Halloween is referred to as Samhain (sow-en).

It is the one night of the year believed to be when the spirits of the dead could come to earth and join the spirits of the living. People wore ghoulish costumes as a way to trick the evil spirits and be safe from them.

Halloween Today
However, Halloween today is not celebrated for this anymore but is often celebrated as an autumn festival with costumes and pumpkins being the only things relating to the origins of Halloween. Games, parties, apple-bobbing and corn mazes have become abundant in the activities that many people do on this night. And yet, as fun as this holiday is without the pressures of gift-giving, large family gatherings or cooking a massive amount of food it is often not celebrated in certain religious circles because of its pagan origins or it "ghoulish" activities and customs.

The Problems with the 31st
Since Halloween is always on the 31st the actual day of the week changes from year to year and this can provide some confusion and inconvenience as to when trick-or-treating or festivities are actually going to take place.