The History of Halloween

When it comes to decorations and parties, Halloween is near the top – probably Second only to Christmas. Still, I find it impossible not to love the day that makes it socially acceptable for me dress up like a Ninja Turtle. Continue reading on as we take a deep dive into the history of Halloween and some of its iconic festivities.

The History of Halloween

The First Halloween

Halloween can trace its roots back about 2,500 years, to a place currently known as Ireland. Back then Halloween was a Celtic, Pagan holiday known as Samhain. Celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, this religious festival was meant to mark the transition from summer to winter, and the itinerary usually included communicating with the dead and creating altars.

You know, Fall stuff.

While this may sound somewhat distant, some of its traditions remain staples of Halloween to this day. Activities such as bonfires and eating sweets can be traced back to Samhain. 

Ancient Celtics also believed earth merged much closer with the spirit realm during Samhain. This is what resulted in many people dressing themselves up in ghoulish costumes. The original intention was to ward off evil spirits by disguising yourself as one of them.

All Saints’ Day

By A.D. 43 The Roman Empire began to take over the Celtic Region, staying there for roughly 400 Years. This resulted in Samhain merging with two preexisting Roman Holidays, those being Feralia and The Feast of Pomona. 

A little after 600 A.D, Pope Gregory III made some alterations to the already established All Martyrs Day. The name was changed to All Saints Day with the date being moved from May 13th to November 1st. 

Many believe this six-month date swap was intended to overshadow the previously mentioned pagan festival. This desire to mask over Samhain continued and led to the later Creation of All Soul’s Day, a Christian holiday dedicated to mourning the dead. This made up the Three-day Celebration known as Allhallowtide, which translates from Middle English to “All Saints Season”.

Many Christian Holidays were preceded with a celebration the evening before it. This can still be observed with Christmas, and less notably, Easter. As you can probably guess by now, New Saints Day was no exception to this trend.

The First Day of Allhallowtide was known as “All Saints Eve”. Being the first day of the celebration, it took place right before All Saints Day, on October 31st. It’s from the Middle English translation, “All Hallows Eve”, that we derive the now famous name, Halloween.

The History of Trick or Treating

Ah yes, trick or treating. Just one of the many holiday traditions that lets one test the sheer strength of their metabolism.

Some propose Trick or Treating has roots all the way back to the Ancient Celtics. As brought up before, the Celtics believed that spirits were much more active during Halloween (known at the time as Samhain). This resulted in the many people leaving out food and other offerings for evil, unnatural beings wandering the earth.

It’s believed that Trick or Treating as we know it now, stemmed from the Scottish/Irish tradition of guising. Guising was most popular during the Nineteenth Century and coincided with the previously mentioned All Souls Day. It was usually practiced by children or poor adults and involved offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. Eventually, people started abandoning the religious aspect, in favor of preforming tricks in costumes for their treats.

The History of The Jack -O’-Lantern

Jack-o’-lanterns are probably the most iconic symbol of Halloween, followed closely by stomach cramps and the eggs on my aunt’s house.

Quick PSA: Once you're done with your Halloween pumpkins, don't throw them away. instead, please leave them in the woods for deer to eat. :)

Believe it or not, jack-o’-lanterns weren’t pumpkins until fairly recently in Human history. It was the early settlers in America who began using them, as pumpkins are native to America which made them very abundant at the time. Before then, jack-o’-lanterns were almost always made from Turnips.

The iconic "jack-o’-lantern" name comes from the old Irish folklore myth of Stingy Jack. Since this is such an old story, many of the details vary. Luckily, the key elements usually remain the same. I encourage you to read it yourself when you get the chance, but I’ll give you a very, very quick rundown here.

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