Where Did Halloween Come From?

Halloween is a holiday that brings excitement to children and adults alike...ever wonder where did Halloween come from? It is a time when costumes are worn and treats are given out to children. Costume parties seem to be common faire on this festive holiday. However, many people may be unaware -even as they celebrate- exactly where did Halloween come from or why the holiday encompasses the traditions that have become so popular.

Halloween seems to be a celebration that grew out of the Celts celebration of summer’s end. The Celts were a group of people that inhabited the lands of England, Ireland and northern France before the expansion of the Catholic Church.

The Celt name for the early Halloween celebrations was Samhain. It was the night before their new year began. The harvest had ended and the long cold winter was about to begin. This was a time of death for the Celt people due to the turn of the weather to cold, since the cold meant that sickness would soon abound. All the inhabitants of the area would come together to celebrate the harvest and make offerings of their crops and animals to their gods on this day.

The Druid’s, who were the religious leaders of the times, would build a big bonfire that everyone would gather around to celebrate and make their offerings. They would thank the good spirits for their blessings over the past year. They would put out their hearth fires in their homes and, at the end of the night’s celebration, would relight their hearths from the sacred bonfire to protect their homes through the coming year.

The Celts also believed that on this night, the separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead was the thinnest and that the ghosts of the dead could roam the Earth in search of a body to possess. They also believed that the spirits could cause damage to the harvest and cause other trouble. Masks and costumes were typically worn at the celebration to scare away the evil spirits. The Celts would light their homes and doorsteps with lanterns to keep away the evil spirits. Then, on on the following day, Samhain celebrated the good spirits.

The conquest of the Romans in the middle of the first century brought the Celts under their rule. Over the first four hundred years of occupation, Samhain became blurred with two Roman holidays, Feralia and Pomona. These holidays fit in well with the Celt understanding of Samhain. Feralia celebrated the dead and was observed in late October. Pomona, on the other hand, was a day to celebrate the Goddess of fruits and nuts named Pomona. Traditions from each of these holidays eventually merged to create the Halloween festivities that many people in the US enjoy today.

Halloween Traditions

Many other groups look upon Halloween differently than the Celts. For example:

• The Catholic Church celebrates November 1 as a holiday by the name of All Saints Day. In old English, this was All Hallows Day. The night before, Samhain, became All Hallows Eve. A corruption of the words occurred sometime in the 16th century and the day became known as Halloween. The Catholic Church does not frown upon the celebration of Halloween but tends to concentrate on their holiday the following day instead.
• The Islamic faith, on the other hand, denounces Halloween and forbids the observance because it comes from a Pagan holiday. Judaism also doesn’t celebrate the holiday due to its Pagan roots.
• The Christians are split on the subject, some celebrate it and some don’t.
• Celtic Pagans consider this time of year and the celebration of Samhain as a holy time.

Over the years, since the practice of celebrating Halloween has become commonplace, the costumes and masks of celebrators have become more elaborate. Ghosts, witches, and devils are commonplace today. More common are other costumes such as pirates, Roman senators, Red Riding hood and other storybook characters. Many consider the dressing up as an important part of the celebration and go all out, putting together detailed costumes and even entering costume contests.