The Story of Halloween

*All images not cited are copyright free from within Book Creator.

The Story of Halloween
Halloween is a popular holiday all over the globe. But where did it come from? What are its ancient origins? In what ways was it pagan, religious, and now secular? Where did traditions like jack-o-lanterns, witches, and black cats come from?

This is The Story of Halloween.

When you’ve learned the history, be sure to try the Halloween History Escape Room and play Kahoot!

Britain

Halloween - also called All-hallows, All-hallowmas, or All-Hallows Eve) - is a festival-like holiday celebrated on October 31st. The distant origins come from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, almost 2,000 years ago, largely in Britain and other parts of Europe. The night before November 1st (which had eventually become a Catholic holiday), the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

It was believed that on the night of *Samhain the ghosts of the dead returned to earth, and some accounts say demons and fairies. This was because the growing season was over and the cold, dark winter was coming, reminding people of death.

*Pronounced [sah-win], it means "summer's end" in Gaelic.

Image source: Hill of Ward: Did Halloween begin on 'magical' ancient site? (Tlachtga in County Meath)

Image source: 'The Druids; or the conversion of the Britons to Christianity'. Engraving by S.F. Ravenet, 1752, after F. Hayman. Wikimedia Commons. CCA 4.0 International.

Druids – Celtic priests – built large bonfires and wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.

They sacrificed animals and burned crops as offerings to Celtic deities. Costumes may have been used to confuse the spirits of the dead, perhaps for protection from possession, or to impersonate dead ancestors. The costumed Celts would walk from dwelling to dwelling seeking food and drink.

They begged for ‘soul cakes’ in villages in order to free the souls of dead relatives, which could have been a form of ancient trick-or-treating. People sometimes left food and drink outside of their doors for spirits, so this is also a possible explanation. People took embers from the bonfire home for protection.

Traditions from Rome, Italy

Sources say Pope Boniface IV established a Catholic feast called ‘All Martyrs Day’ on May 13th in the year 609 CE. He was permitted to dedicate the Pantheon in Rome to all Christian martyrs. It was later in the 8th century that Pope Gregory III changed the date to November 1st and expanded it to include Christian saints. Later known as 'All Saints' Day’ it was now a day to honour saints and martyrs. By the 9th century, Christianity had spread to Celtic regions and with it Catholic influence. In 1000 CE, the Church had declared November 2nd to be ‘All Soul’s Day’, most likely in an attempt to draw people to the Church’s festival and away from the Celtic festival of the dead. Over the centuries the customs became more ceremonial.

Image source: Pope Gregory III Illustration. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

England and Ireland

The modern form of ‘trick-or-treating’ originated in the United States, but the earliest form possibly came from the Celtic tradition of wandering from home to home asking for food and drink during Samhain. The closest ancient form of the practice probably came from ‘All Souls’ Day’ parades in England. The poor would walk from home to home begging for ‘soul cakes’. In return for the handout they would promise to pray for the souls of the donating family’s dead relatives.

Image source: Souling on Halloween. (1882) Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

Did you know... that mummering at Christmas probably has its roots in trick or treating?

The Catholic Church encouraged this as it was less associated with leaving food out for dead, roaming spirits. It was eventually called ‘going a-souling’ and was eventually practiced by children who walked around for free ale, food and sometimes money.

Halloween Comes to The United States of America

In the 1800s, Europeans brought Halloween to the United States but it was mid-century Irish immigrants that really saw Halloween grow in popularity. In New England the rigid Protestant beliefs made support for Halloween limited but it grew popular in the south and eventually around the country.

Snap-Apple Night

The North American version of Halloween grew more and more distinct as the variety of ethnic groups adopted Halloween and added elements of their own cultures to the celebration. Although halloween still had customs of pranks, witches, and ghost stories, by the late 1800s there was a movement in America to make Halloween more family-friendly.

Thus, Halloween parties for both children and adults with games, festive costumes grew popular, and religion slowly filtered out of the holiday.

Ghosts

On Halloween people tell ghost stories. This custom is very old. In ancient times it may have been due to the belief that people’s spirit and body were two separate things. Funeral rites may have developed because people wanted to ensure the dead passed into the next life and did not wander (or haunt) the living. Belief in ghosts is found in cultures across the world. Even Pliny the Younger wrote about a ghost in the first century CE! In Western culture, people sat around bonfires and told ghost stories, especially about things they saw on Hallow’s Eve. Ghosts, or spirits of the dead, may be good or bad. Ghosts have become an important symbol of Halloween. This is because on All Hallows Eve ancient Celts believed that spirits of the dead returned to earth.

Did you know... that "haunted houses" were opened during the Great Depression as a way to get youthful pranksters off the streets!

Black Cats

Believe it or not, in most cultures black cats bring good luck. Why are black cats bad luck in North America? The Pilgrims in the early United States believed black cats were the partners of witches. Some believed cats were the ghosts of dead people coming back. Others thought witches changed themselves into cats.

Did you know...

...that in Ancient Egypt, Black cats were worshipped as goddesses?

...in Medieval times black cats became a sign of Devil? (1233 AD, Pope Gregory IX, head of Catholic church, declared black cats to be an incarnation of the Devil), making a connection to witchcraft, so people hunted and burned black cats alive!

Jack-o-Lanterns (Ireland)

According to Irish folklore a drunken trickster names Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree. He couldn’t get down because Jack also carved a cross at the bottom. Jack agreed to let him down if the Devil promised to never tempt him again. When Jack died he couldn’t get into Heaven, and the Devil wouldn’t let him into Hell. He gave Jack a single ember to light his way, which Jack put into a carved out turnip.

Eventually, the Irish began carving their own scary-faced jack-o-lanterns to keep Jack’s wandering spirit away. The did it with a turnip. When Irish immigrants landed in America they kept this tradition alive in their adopted home. However, finding that it was easier to carve a pumpkin the did just that! So now, we carve pumpkins rather than the harder-skinned turnip.