The Origins of Halloween

Written By: Farkhunda A.

Edited By: Happy J.

Halloween is a holiday celebrated mostly in Christian countries on the 31st of October, the evening before All Saints Day. The origin of Halloween dates back 2000 years to the Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced as sow-in) in the area that is now Britain, Ireland, and France. Samhain translates to “summer’s end,” which was the division of the year between the end of the summer and the start of winter among the Celts. Samhain was a spiritual and religious new year to pagans and druids. This time was considered to be a day to reflect on what has passed and what will happen, and a day to remember one’s ancestors. It was believed that on this day, the veil between the world of the living and the world of spirits and ghosts become very thin, and the spirits would be more visible. In addition, Celts used to build massive bonfires where they burned animals and crops for their deities. During this time, ancestors were welcomed to homes and were prepared special food. To disguise themselves from the evil spirits, Celts used to wear masks and costumes, making them unrecognizable.

Furthermore, it was believed that during this time of the year, those who had died were still in the living world and they would either be ascended into heaven or descend to hell on the 1st of November.

In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III started adapting some of the costumes of pagans. The Roman Catholic Church changed the Samhain celebration to a three-day festival which started with All Hallows Eve on the 31st of October, then All Hallows Day on the 1st of November, and ended with All Souls Day on the 2nd of November.

Later on, in the 15th century, a new Scottish tradition called Souling began when people went and sang songs from door to door, and in exchange, the household would give them the soul cake. The soul cake was prepared for the dead and was meant to appease the ghosts and spirits. In the 16th century, there was another tradition called Guising or Mumming in Britain and Ireland which was similar to the Souling, but people used to wear costumes and ask for money and food. As centuries passed on, this tradition reached the United States and Canada. Slowly, the tradition and holiday of Halloween became popular during the Victorian era. In the 19th Century, the Victorians started to organize parties, primarily for young adults, which included the tradition of Guising and games.

Finally, in 1950, a group of children in Philadelphia donated their collected money during Hallows Eve or Halloween to UNICEF. After that, this became an annual tradition for UNICEF and as a result, this group of children won the Nobel peace prize in 1965. Subsequently, trick-or-treating became common and people were usually expecting children on the street and at the doors of their homes.

Halloween is a combination of different cultures which represents the unique history of the Celts, but most of us do not know about the origins of this special event. However, one must take into consideration that this culture still has its two major characteristics: sharing food and the recognition of supernaturals.

---

Citations:

“Halloween .” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 18 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween.

Brennan, John Anthony. “Samhain: Celtic New Beginning.” The Wild Geese, 27 Oct. 2016, 8:30pm, thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/samhain-the-celtic-new-year.

Donovan , Blair, and Marissa Gold . “What's the Actual History of Halloween-and Why Do We Celebrate It on October 31?” Country Living, 9 June 2020, www.countryliving.com/entertaining/a40250/heres-why-we-really-celebrate-halloween/.