Syncretism is a union or attempted fusion of different religions, cultures, or philosophies — like Halloween, which has both Christian and pagan roots, or the combination of Aristotelian philosophy with the belief system of the early punk rock practitioners.

What does the term syncretic mean?

1 : the combination of different forms of belief or practice. 2 : the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms.

What are examples of syncretism?

A great example of cultural syncretism is the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica. African-Hebrew and Christian religious practices blend together with Caribbean freed slave culture and a 19th-century Pan African identity to make something influenced by many cultures but that is completely unique.