The History of Halloween

October 27, 2020 The History of Halloween         Trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples, having parties, carving pumpkins, and dressing up are all Halloween traditions, but who came up with it? How did Halloween get its name? And where did it all start?      Halloween is thought to come from the Celtic holiday Samhain. Samhain was the end of summer festival for the Celtic people and it was when humans and the dead could cross into each other's worlds.       The Roman Empire conquered the land where the Celts had lived in 43 C.E. and two of their holidays were combined with Samhain. Feralia (a day honoring the dead) and a day to honor Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruit and abundance).       In 609 C.E. Pope Boniface IV changed the date of the Catholic holiday All Martyrs Day from May to November 1st. All Martyr’s Day’s name was changed to All Saint’s day, and it included saints in the celebrations. In the 800s the Catholic church made November 2nd All Soul’s Day, which celebrated the dead. On All Soul’s Day, people dressed up in costumes and had parades, much like modern day Halloween.       All Saints Day was also called All Hallows Day. The day before All Hallows Day became All Hallows Eve (October 31st) and it was the day Samhain was originally celebrated. All Hallows Eve became Halloween over time and that is what we call it today. All three days together were called All Hallows Tide.      Halloween was first celebrated by lighting bonfires and saying farewell to the summer, but people also thought it would be easier to tell the future while there were otherworldly spirits on Earth. Young women would try to figure out who their husband would be by tossing yarn over their shoulders or holding candles in mirrors.       Halloween’s name and celebrations have evolved over time, but many people still carve pumpkins like our ancestors did. Pumpkin carving originated from Ireland because of the Irish tale of Stingy Jack. According to the tale, Stingy Jack invited the Devil for a drink and tricked him into not taking his soul when he died for the next year. This happened twice and the next time Jack tricked the Devil into not taking his soul for the next 10 years. A few years after that, Jack died. God did not want to accept Jack into heaven and the Devil couldn’t accept Jack, so Jack wandered around the world with a hollowed-out turnip with a coal inside. The Irish, Scottish, and English then carved turnips, potatoes, and beets into scary faces to frighten away Stingy Jack and other spirits. The tradition was brought to the United States when the Irish immigrants came, and they found pumpkins were much easier to carve than beets or turnips. The rest of the world caught on quickly, and soon it was an iconic Halloween tradition.       Trick-or-treating. Walking up to strangers and asking for candy. It is a strange but much-loved Halloween tradition, and many kids wait all year for a chance to dress up and eat sugar. Trick-or-treating dates to Celtic times when people would dress up in animal skins to keep spirits away. People would also leave food out for the spirits to pacify them. When Samhain turned in to All Hallows Eve, people had to start earning their treats. Some children prayed for people to get treats and others (in Ireland and Scotland) sang songs and did tricks for treats which was called guising.       Guy Fawkes night has aspects of trick-or-treating as well. Guy Fawkes is celebrated on November 5th and is when a plot to blow up the parliament building was foiled. It is still celebrated in England. On Guy Fawkes night, children would go around asking for pennies and this tradition is like the guising that took place in neighboring countries.       These traditions all mixed in the great melting pot of the United States and although it had some difficulties because of rowdy mischief makers and wars, trick-or-treating is one of the most loved Halloween traditions.       Halloween does not strictly belong to one country, culture, or hemisphere. It is not only a Pagan tradition but also a Christian tradition. It is not only about being scared, but also celebrating the dead and saying goodbye to the summer. But most of all, Halloween is a time to have fun and do the time-honored traditions of trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, and having a good time.