Skip to Main Content

CIST Student Sandbox

IST 605: Pagan to Christian Holidays

Curious about the origins of Halloween, Christmas, and Easter? They all began as Pagan celebrations!

YouTube

Offers introductory historical background to the topic with a sense of satire. Connects Halloween to Samhain, Valentine's Day to Lupercalia, Easter to the goddess Eostre, and Christmas to Yule. Watch until around the five minute mark, as the rest of the content explores other practices that can be traced back to Paganism but are not celebrated annually.