The History of Halloween

Oíche Shamhna. Ó, cé chomh mór is atá mo ghrá duit, ní mar gheall ar do bhia milis ach as ár gcultúr a cruthaíodh tú. Oíche Shamhna or Halloween, as we know it today with costumes, trick-or-treating, and spooky decorations has deep historical roots that trace back to ancient Ireland and the Celtic festival of Samhain. Though it has evolved into a global celebration of ghosts and candy, its beginnings were spiritual, seasonal, and deeply tied to nature. Growing up I was never a big fan of the holiday for the main reasons that I don’t like horror movies or the act of going out into the rain to knock on houses to receive the few bits and pieces all the 80 year old neighbours on my road had in the back of their snack drawer. Though this all changed for me in my teens but not for the reason of going out and getting drunk dressed up with my friends but instead for my rather nerdy love for the pagan and celtic heritage and culture in ireland. I might not accept a buzz ball from a 2016 harley quinn dressed in a “daddies little monster” t-shirt but I will happily talk your ear off about the myths, legends and ‘monsters’ of irish folklore (this is only partly a joke, I will accept the buzz ball before ranting) 

So where does it come from? Níos mó ná dhá mhíle bliain ó shin, the Celts lived across Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of mainland Europe. For them, the year was divided into two halves: the light and the dark. Samhain, celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the dark half of the year. It was a liminal time when, according to Celtic belief, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thin, allowing spirits to cross into the human realm.

Samhain was both a time of honor and protection. Families paid tribute to their ancestors and the recently departed, leaving offerings of food and drink to welcome benevolent spirits. Ag an am céanna, they lit great bonfires to ward off harmful ones. People wore disguises or animal skins to confuse wandering souls and sometimes carried carved turnips or gourds as lanterns. The Druids, or Celtic priests, oversaw these ceremonies, using the sacred fires for divination and to predict the future year’s fortunes. This is interestingly enough still relevant today in our celebration of the holiday welcoming spirits in our life though now we do it through movies, decorations and costumes and also our roots connecting to the modern tradition of carving pumpkins. 

So how did this evolve with the influence of christianity? I ask this as every year like clockwork we can see typically american christians make videos and posts about the holiday and its roots. The answer? When Christianity began to take root in Europe, it often encountered these long-held pagan traditions. And by the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the Christian feast of All Saints’ Day (also called All Hallows’ Day) to November 1st. The night before became All Hallows’ Eve, which over time shortened to Halloween. The following day, All Souls’ Day on November 2nd, was dedicated to praying for the dead. Suspicious if you ask me but I won’t dwell on it today…… 

Although these new Christian observances were meant to replace pagan festivals, many Samhain customs continued under different names. Lighting candles for souls, wearing costumes, and offering food or prayers for the dead all persisted, showing how deeply rooted Celtic traditions were in everyday life. The blending of pagan and Christian ideas produced the foundation for the Halloween we recognize today. Some of Oíche Shamhna’s most familiar symbols come directly from Irish folklore. The Jack-o’-lantern began with the legend of Stingy Jack, a trickster who deceived the devil and was condemned to wander the earth with only a burning coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way. When Irish immigrants arrived in America in the 19th century, they discovered that pumpkins, native to the New World, were easier to carve than turnips, giving rise to the modern glowing pumpkin faces we know today.

But how exactly did it get to where it is today? How has this cultural tradition transitioned into the lights of Hollywood, the archives of music and the annual money magnet it is today? During the 19th century, waves of Irish immigrants, especially those fleeing the Famine, brought their Oíche Shamhna customs to the United States. There, the celebration merged with other cultural traditions and gradually took on a lighter, more community-focused tone. Children dressed in costumes, neighborhoods organized parties, and by the early 20th century, Oíche Shamhna had become a largely secular holiday focused on fun rather than fear. Still, its Irish and Celtic heritage remained woven through its customs and imagery, though now slowly crumbling. 

Understanding Halloween’s pagan roots helps explain why the holiday has always balanced themes of life, death, and renewal. For the ancient Celts, Samhain was not about evil—it was about respecting the forces of nature, honoring ancestors, and preparing for the hardships of winter. Over centuries, Christianity reshaped those meanings but could not erase them. Many of the rituals that once belonged to paganism survive today as festive Oíche Shamhna traditions.

Modern pagan and neo-pagan groups, including Wiccans and Druids, still celebrate Samhain as a sacred festival, marking it as a time to reflect, honor the dead, and connect with the rhythms of nature. In that way, the spirit of the ancient celebration continues to live on.

Scéal Oíche Shamhna is one of transformation and continuity and one I find so interesting. From its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, through its adaptation by Christianity into All Hallows’ Eve, and finally its reinvention in America as a night of costumes and candy, Oíche Shamhna has evolved while preserving its core themes of remembrance, mystery, and the passage between worlds. Behind every glowing pumpkin and playful costume lies a tradition that began thousands of years ago in Ireland, an enduring reminder that even in modern celebrations, the echoes of the ancient past still live on ( possibly in the corner of a nightclub from the mouth of a girl too many shots in) but however you spend your Oíche Shamhna I hope you enjoy yourself while remembering the history and beauty of its cultural and traditional roots. 

• halloween
• history