History of Halloween

Find here how your ancestors celebrated their Halloween party. This fun holiday originated from religious Celtic and Christian beliefs. Teaching kids about the history of Halloween and its customs is a fun and educational activity for any Halloween party, be it at home or school.

Why is this holiday called "Halloween"?

The word "Halloween" comes from "All Hallows Eve", the name of a Catholic holiday in honor of saints, celebrated on November 1st. The name also comes from "Samhain" (sow-en), the holiday in which the Celts celebrated the end of summer, on October 31. Summer marked the end of the Celtic year, therefore Samhain celebrated the Celtic New year as well.


What happened on Samhain ?

One story says that, on that day, the spirits of all those who had died the preceding year would come back looking for living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be Celts' only hope for the afterlife.

As the still-living did not want to be possessed, they would extinguish the fires in their homes, dress in ghoulish costumes and parade noisily around the neighborhood to scare the spirits away.

The tradition of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine.

 

Trick-or-treating
The custom of trick-or-treating does not come from the Irish Celts, but from a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. In return, the beggars would pray on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors to help them in their way to heaven.


The Jack-o-lantern

A tale from Irish folklore tells about a drunkard and trickster named Jack, who tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack let the devil down the tree only after making him promise not to tempt him ever again.

After Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. The devil gave him a single candle to light his way through the frigid darkness. The candle was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it from being blown out by the wind.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally, but when the immigrants came to America, they preferred using pumpkins.

This history of Halloween and its customs has been adapted from Jerry Wilson's research.

Keep on celebration Samhain...or All Hallows Eve! Give a Halloween party to celebrate the antique customs of this popular holiday.

 

 



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