All Saint’s Eve, All Hallows’ Eve, All Hallowe’en, Hallowe’en. These are all names for a popular fall holiday: Halloween. When you hear Halloween, you probably think about candy, costumes and scary movies. For many, Halloween is just another holiday for getting sweets and having fun to break up the time between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, but is it really just a fun holiday to increase candy sales once a year?
The origins of Halloween are murky. There are ties back to the Celtic New Year festival Samhain as the grandfather of Halloween. Samhain (pronounced sah-win) was a celebration of summer’s end and the harvest before the winter. Winter for the Celts was often associated with human death and so they believed that the spirits of people that died the year before would come back to earth to roam around.
Many of the festivities during Samhain were focused on the returning spirits. Since the boundary between the living and the spiritual world was weak, there were thoughts of all spirits crossing over for the night, not just the spirits of loved ones. The living wanted to entertain and reconcile with their loved ones, so they prepared food and a place at the table so the spirits could sit with them. Doors were also left open to welcome the kind spirits. Celebrations took place around large bonfires to keep the evil spirits away. The Celts also dressed in costumes made of animal heads and skins to dissuade the evil spirits from possessing them. To them, the spirits were looking for humans to possess, so if they were disguised as witches, goblins or animals, then the spirits would not be interested in them.
Since the boundary between the living and spiritual world was weak, divination was assumed to be more accurate. People flocked Druids, Celtic pagans who had a close connection to the spiritual, and asked when was the best time to marry, who would birth a great leader, anything of which you could think. Animal sacrifices were made to prepare for the upcoming winter and appease the deities they worshiped.
It wasn’t long before Christians learned of Samhain and adopted some aspects of it. Instead of celebrating and worshiping the occult, Christians shifted the focus to honoring saints and praying for the souls that recently began their journey to heaven. Halloween became a holy observance. Children were still encouraged to dress up in gory costumes to portray the seven deaths detailed in Second Maccabees, one of several books Catholics consider part of the Old Testament, despite not being included in biblical texts. Christians also lit candles on their loved ones’ graves or beside their pictures in remembrance.
Jack-o’-lanterns are another traditional symbol of Halloween. It is said that the jack-o’-lantern is supposed to represent a soul trapped in purgatory after being denied from both heaven and hell. The folklore behind it details a drunken encounter with the Devil, prompting Jack to climb a tree that he carves a cross into in order to trap the Devil. A deal is made so that the Devil can’t take Jack’s soul when he dies. Jack, thinking he swindled his way into heaven, lives the rest of his life in sin. Unsurprisingly, he is denied entry into heaven. The Devil still recognizes the deal made years ago and throws a coal from the fires of hell at Jack. Jack takes the coal and places it into a hollowed turnip to keep the flame alive during the cold night. The “lantern” is supposed to be Jack wandering around looking for a place to rest. Pumpkins became more common because they were softer and easier to carve.
Once Irish and European immigrants started settling in North America, the two versions of Halloween merged. Throughout the years, Halloween stopped being a holiday of remembrance and became community-centered, so when you’re out partying and having a spooky time, remember your loved ones and stay safe.