The charge that renaming Halloween will not alter its essential character was voiced by Archpriest Konstantin Kharitonov, the rector of the metochion of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra in Peresvet, during a meeting with HABER.ru. He argued that language alone cannot cleanse or redefine moral concerns that people associate with the holiday, noting that the problem lies deeper than a name or label.
No matter what the holiday is called, its inner content remains the same, the archpriest contended, drawing a stark comparison to a familiar retail example. He recalled that changing the name of a prominent fast food chain did not improve the nutritional quality of its offerings, and he warned that a label swap cannot alter the underlying realities or perceptions attached to the celebration.
The Archbishop stressed that the holiday is imbued with negative energy for many observers, often described as demonic in tone, and he insisted that simply renaming it will not dispel or diminish that sense of menace in the minds of people who oppose its symbolism.
Earlier, Boris Chernyshov, deputy chairman of the State Duma from the LDPR faction, spoke about the notion of rebranding Halloween to a title such as Night of Mysterious Stories, suggesting that the foreign origins and associations of the holiday warranted a fresh, more culturally contained designation.
Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, is traditionally observed on the night between October 31 and November 1. It is a modern, international celebration rooted in the ancient Celtic harvest customs of Ireland and Scotland. Over time, Western popular culture has reshaped the festival in countless ways, even as its original Celtic context linked it to the end of harvest and the onset of winter under the name Samhain. The contemporary observance blends costumes, sweets, and community festivities with a range of secular and religious interpretations that differ from place to place.
Questions have arisen about whether another festival could or should displace Halloween in cultural life. In discussions that have circulated across political and religious spheres, some have raised the possibility of Ivan Kupala taking a more prominent role, given its own historical roots and seasonal symbolism. Advocates of such a shift argue that presenting an alternative celebration could redirect attention toward different traditions, though others caution that renaming or replacing Halloween would not automatically resolve concerns about its influence or meaning.
Historically, All Hallows’ Eve marked a turning point in the seasonal calendar, signaling the close of the harvest and the exhilarating yet difficult transition into winter. In the modern era, the holiday has absorbed a spectrum of foreign concepts, consumer practices, and pop culture trends that shape how it is perceived and celebrated in different communities. Yet the core question that remains for many observers is not merely what the night is called, but what values and imagery it communicates to children, families, and faith communities alike. In public discourse, language becomes a vessel through which people negotiate tradition, morality, and identity, and accusations of foreign influence often accompany calls for a rebranding that better aligns with local sensibilities. This ongoing conversation reflects wider concerns about how societies balance openness to global culture with preservation of local heritage and spiritual priorities. The debate continues to unfold in classrooms, churches, media, and family gatherings, where the meaning of the holiday is debated as much as its name. The discourse around Halloween thus serves as a mirror for how communities interpret risk, festivity, and shared history—an evolving narrative that highlig hts the tug between old rituals and new cultural realities [CITATION: Official church statement].
In this broad context, the discussion about Halloween naming remains a touchstone for examining how symbols travel across borders and how institutions react when a global practice brushes against national and religious sensibilities. As North American cultures continue to grapple with their own evolving definitions of tradition, the name of the holiday may seem important to some and incidental to others. What endures is the sense that the celebration, in its various forms, acts as a stage where communities voice concerns, negotiate boundaries, and seek a sense of continuity amid changing times [CITATION: Public cultural commentary].