As we reflect on the different kind of Halloween we experienced this year — overshadowed by the specters of both COVID-19 and a looming election — we are perhaps closer than ever to the historical origins of the holiday as a period of contemplation and remembrance. Halloween emerged from the medieval festival of Allhallowtide, a three-day Catholic celebration in memory of the holy departed. Naturally, mourning traditions have evolved since the Middle Ages and the Henry Sheldon Museum Archives offer some ins … (read more)
