Around this time every year, the trees start changing color, the weather gets colder, and people begin to pull out spooky decorations. Whether it’s dressing up as your favorite TV show character, going into a haunted house for a scare, or simply getting sick from all of the candy, October 31st is always a day to look forward to. Every year, we get caught up in the thrill of the season, but have you ever found yourself wondering about when it all started? Where did Halloween come from? When did it start? Why do we call it “Halloween”?
Halloween first originated from an ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was on October 31. This festival was a religious pagan celebration which marked the end of summer. Celts believed that during this time, the veil between the living and the dead was lifted. On Samhain, it was said that ghosts would return to the land of the living. At this time, people would have bonfires and wear costumes to chase away ghosts, which is where our tradition of dressing up for Halloween came from!
However, the name “Halloween” first came to be with All Saints’ Day. Many Christian leaders tried to cover up pagan holidays with their own. All Saints’ Day, which was originally on May 13, was moved to November 1 by Pope Gregory Ⅳ. All Saints’ Day is also known as All Hallows. All Saints’ Day is on November 1 which makes October 31, the day before All Saints’ Day, and thus, All Hallows Eve. As time went by, the name All Hallows Eve became Halloween.
In due course, along with the large wave of Irish immigrants in the 1900s came our version of Halloween, and many spooky traditions. The darker pagan traditions of Halloween began to diminish and lighthearted traditions sprung. For instance, European kids used to go around door to door asking for “soul cakes,” or as we know it, treats! Young Scottish and Irish kids who wanted to stir up trouble brought back the tradition of dressing up to spook people around the neighborhood. To avoid being pranked, adults would give treats to the kids. In time, trick-or-treating emerged from these activities, and Hallowen continued to evolve.
Now, if anyone ever asks you about Halloween, you’ll know all about it. Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!