Home

Spooky Story

History of Halloween

ANCIENT ORIGINS

     Halloween's origins date back to an ancient Celtic Festival.

     The Celts, who lived about 2,000 years ago, in modern day Ireland, UK, and northern France, celebrated the new year on November first.  They believed that the night before the new year, the boundary between the living and the dead was nonexistent.  On October 31st, they celebrated Samhain (pronounced sow-in).  On this day, they thought that the ghosts of the dead returned to Earth.  The Druids (Celtic Priests) built huge bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and animals as a sacrifice to Celtic deities.  During these celebrations, people wore costumes, generally consisting of animal heads and skins. 

    By A.D. 43, the Romans had conquered much of the Celtic territory.  During their 400 years of rule, two of their traditions combined with the Celtic Samhain.  The first was Feralia, celebrated in late October, commemorated the passing of the dead.  The second tradition was Pamona.  Pamona was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.  Her symbol was the apple.  This most likely explains the tradition of bobbing for apples that is practiced today.

     By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands.  In the 7th century, Pope Boniface the Fourth designated November 1st as All Saints Day, also called All-hallows, or All-hallowmas (from Middle English, Alholowmesse, meaning All Saints Day). 

MODERN TRADITIONS

     Trick-or-treating probably originated from the early All Souls Day celebration parade in England.  Poor people would beg for food and families passed out soul cakes in return for the promise to pray for their dead.  The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of giving food and wine to roaming sprits.   This practice was called "going-a-souling".  It was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhoods and be given food, ale, and money.

     The tradition of costumes for Halloween originates from both European and Celtic roots.  When it was believed that ghosts came back on this day, people were afraid of them, and the dark.  They would wear masks to hide and protect them from the ghosts.  They would also leave food outside to appease ghosts and prevent them from entering their houses.