All About Halloween

Halloween, celebrated on October 31st, originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian observance of All Hallows’ Eve. The Celts, who lived over 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, believed that on the night before their new year—November 1—the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the spirits of the dead returned to Earth. To honor this event, Druids built large sacred bonfires where people gathered to offer crops and animals as sacrifices to Celtic gods. Participants wore costumes made of animal heads and skins and tried to tell each other’s fortunes. Afterward, they re-lit their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire to protect them during the cold winter. Culturally, Halloween reflects Western traditions of honoring the dead and confronting fears of darkness and death through costumes and festivities. In contrast, in Korea, similar themes appear during holidays like Chuseok, when families honor their ancestors through memorial rituals and food offerings, but the focus is on family, gratitude, and respect for the deceased rather than spooky celebrations or costumes.

Halloween in South Korea is not a very popular celebration. Some young people go to places like Hongdae or Gangnam to celebrate halloween, but most people just mind their own business. Like this, Halloween is not a mandatory event in South Korea, and our GIS community follows this too. Our Gis community agrees that it's important to understand and respect each person's religious beliefs and practices. Therefore, the GIS community does not celebrate Halloween, since it may make some individuals uncomfortable because of their beliefs.