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A Brief History of Halloween

The ceremony originated from an ancient Greek ritual known as Samhain. The ritual celebrated the changing of seasons from summer to winter. The festival saw people light bonfires and prepare sweets and wear costumes. The costumes one was said to ward off evil spirits because ancient Celts believed in them. Over the years I love wieners evolved into a festival that involves activities like carving pumpkins, people going trick or treating,  wearing costumes and eating treats like candy.

 Therefore, this article will explore the history of Halloween, how it came into existence and also how it is celebrated in contemporary society.

The Origin of Halloween

The Festival of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic Festival when they celebrated the beginning of winter on 1s November. The winter season is often associated with death according to the Celtic culture. The Celts believed that during this time, the boundaries between the world of the living and that of the dead often get blurred. That is why they celebrated the festival because they believed that the ghosts of the dead came back to earth.

The ghosts coming back to the world of the living were not welcomed as they caused trouble and damaged the crops. The ancient Celtic people believed that the presence of ghosts made it easy for Druids who were Celtic priests to make predictions about the future. During these celebrations, the Celts wore costumes and made sacred bonfires in which they burned animals and plants before Celtic deities. After they had finished the celebrations, they lit fires they had extinguished so that they could protect themselves from the cold winters.

Later, the Roman Empire conquered most of the Celtic territory. Well they ruled, the Celtic territory for 400 years the Romans combined two of their festivals with that over the Samhain. The first festival that their romance combined with the Samhain was Feralia which honoured the passing of the dead. The second festival was a day set aside to honour Pomona who was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The goddess’ symbol was an apple and this can explain the tradition of  bobbing apples that is usually done during Halloween

Christians and Haloween

 Christians tried to introduce their festival to replace Halloween. In 609 A.D. pope Boniface IV established the feast of all Martyr’s day which sought to honour all Christian Martyrs. Pope Gregory III who replaced the pope expanded the festival to include all martyrs and saints. The festival was then moved from May 13^th to 1^st November.

As Christianism grew, its influence spread into Celtic lands and their rituals gradually blended with old Celtic rituals. The Catholic Church then made 2^nd November All Souls Day which honoured the dead. The move to put the day close to Halloween is believed to have been a move to replace Halloween which the church considered ungodly with a Christian holiday.

Halloween in North America

When the British arrived in North America, they brought with them these traditions. The Puritans of New England, who refused to celebrate any holidays associated with pagan beliefs, such as Christmas and Easter, kept Guy Fawkes Day on 5 November as a reminder of their supposed moral superiority to Catholics. Guy Fawkes Night was celebrated until the American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783.

The rituals of Samhain arrived in the United States less than a century later, during the potato famine of 1845-1849. The Irish, who were predominantly Catholic, continued to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day, these festivals were now infused with pagan elements.

Curving of Pumpkins on Halloween

This tradition can be traced back to Ireland and it is based on the story of Stingy Jack. Irish folklore says that Jack was a trickster, a drunk and could trick the devil out of taking his soul. There are many variations of the story of Stingy Jack but the most popular one is the one in which Jack cheated death three times and even managed to fool the devil into not taking his soul. To illuminate his way while passing through the worlds of good and bad he carried a gourd that had a glowing ember inside. The glowing gourd was used to ward off evil spirits. However, when Halloween came to America, pumpkins were carved to keep up with the tradition as they were easier to carve.

Candy and Dressing up on Halloween

Halloween is often associated with a treat or treating and dressing up as a person’s favourite book or television character. In the early 20^th century, Halloween was used by pranksters as a chance to trick unsuspecting people. The mischief skyrocketed with the great depression resulting in cases of physical violence and vandalism.

As a result of the messy acts, there was mass adoption of a community-organized trick-or-treating tradition that has become the norm in contemporary society as Halloween enthusiasts will go from door to door in the neighbourhood asking for treats while dressed up.