A Concise History of Halloween
- Dorina Botyanszki
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Halloween is one of America's most celebrated holidays. Following the first of October,
spooky decorations start popping up all around the country like wildfire. But strangely, its
origins are entirely unknown to many. Most holidays, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, have
well-known histories, but Halloween is the opposite. Is it a mystery, or perhaps just an
amalgamation of various mythologies? The latter is more likely.
Around 2,000 years ago, a collection of Indo-European people called the Celts inhabited
much of western and central Europe. According to Celtic beliefs, the new year began on
November 1st. This marked the shift from the harvest period to winter, and during this time,
the border between the land of the living and the land of the dead was blurred, and spirits were
able to invade the land of the living to wreck people's belongings and crops. To prevent this from
occurring, the Celts would light bonfires, host large parades, and wear ghost-like costumes in a
festival called Samhain.
Following the Roman conquest of the Celts, some of their traditions began to blend. In the
spring, the Romans celebrated a festival called Feralia to honor the spirits of the dead. The
integration of these celebrations contributed to their importance, leading to a combined
celebration of the dead. A celebration of Pomona, the Roman goddess of harvest, is also
thought to have contributed. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Christian rulers took
inspiration from these holidays. In 609 C.E., during the peak of Christianity in Europe, Pope
Boniface IV created All Saints' Day (Allhallowmas in early English) to honor Catholic saints
who did not have their own day of celebration. It included all saints, passed ones, and
martyrs. The holiday was originally celebrated on May 13th, but was later moved to
November 1st to encourage those still celebrating Samhain to convert to Christianity. In
preparation for the holiday, people held celebrations like those of Samhain the evening before.
This evening was known as All Hallows' Eve (Allhalloweven) and eventually shortened to
Hallowe'en. It remained celebrated similarly to Samhain, with costumes, large bonfires,
and the like.
The tradition of trick-or-treating also originated from All Souls' Day. When there were large
parades on the streets, beggars took the opportunity to plead for food or money from
crowds and offered to pray for their departed relatives in exchange. Many people would
give them soul cakes, a kind of spiced cookie made especially for the holiday, but if they
did not have anything to offer, young children may have played a trick involving
the destruction of property. The common belief is that trick or treat is a question given to
whoever is providing the treat, as to whether they will give a treat or a trick. Really, it means
"give me a treat or I will give you a trick." When foreign immigration to America began, most
colonists and early inhabitants came from England and neighboring countries. Having celebrated
Hallowe'en, they brought its traditions to America. When these traditions met those of the
indigenous peoples living there, they integrated, and the celebration became far less centered on
religion. Then, in the 1840s, came an immigration of people who still celebrated Samhain. After
the Irish Potato Famine, hundreds of thousands of Irish people fled to America. Samhain
originated near Ireland, and it was a popular holiday then and now. Because of its popularity
there and the number of Irish people coming to America at the time, celebrations of Halloween
increased, and led to modern celebrations of Halloween! Over time, the bonfires faded away, and
it was left with the main aspects, like dressing up in costumes and giving out treats to people
begging for it.
history/#:~:text=Interactions%20between%20the%20Romans%20and,which%20eventually%20morphed%20into%20Halloween.
Comments