The Ancient Origins of Halloween

The Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's constantly evolving traditions originated about 2,000 years ago in the Celtic culture that thrived in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France.

Oct. 31 marked the end of the Celtic year and the annual ancient festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This event celebrated the end of both the summer and the harvest. It was a pivotal time for early pagans whose lives were so closely linked to the land.

Perhaps more closely linked to modern concepts of Halloween, the time also marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time often associated with human death. During the night of Samhain, the boundary between the living and the dead was thought to become blurred. Celts believed ghosts returned to Earth at this time to cause trouble and damage crops.

In order to lessen the mischief of the dead, they lit huge bonfires and burned crops and animals for sacrifice. During these ceremonies, they wore costumes usually consisting of animal heads and skins.

By 43 AD, Romans had conquered much of the Celtic territory. The conquerors merged Samhain with two customs of their own. The first, called Feralia, commemorated the dead. The second tradition honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Her symbol was an apple, and this explains the inclusion of apple-bobbing during many autumn festivals.

In 800 AD, Pope Boniface IV tried to replace all of these fall rituals with All Saints' Day on November 1, in honor of saints and martyrs. The night before became known as All-Hallows Eve, which was eventually shortened to Halloween.

Two centuries later, the Catholic Church named November 2 All Souls' Day, and citizens began dressing up as saints, angels, and devils to honor Catholic beliefs.

Eventually, the three day period from October 31-November 2, which included the eve of All Saints' Day, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, became known collectively as Hallowmas.

When European immigrants settled in North America, their differing ethnic customs merged with aspects of Native American cultures to form a Halloween holiday unique to America.

In its early days, Americans celebrated with costume parties, where they often played fortune telling games. These frequently focused on determining which of a young woman's suitors she would marry.

At the turn of the twentieth century, there was a push away from superstition and the occult to make Halloween a more neighborhood-oriented event. By the 1950's, the holiday was largely for children.

Over the next few decades, the holiday once again became popular among adults. Halloween is now the second largest commercial holiday in the country, with Americans spending $6.9 billion each year.

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