Halloween: a time where ghosts, goblins, and witches roam the streets. But how did this celebration begin exactly?
Samhain
In the beginning, Halloween used to be called Samhain. Samhain was an ancient festival celebrated by the Celtics, a civilization that lived two-thousand years ago in what is now the modern United Kingdom, and northern France. Samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Winters were difficult and many people starved. Celts believed evil spirits visited and damaged crops. So, Celts would use customs to celebrate Samhain, thereby confusing the evil spirits.
The Spread of Samhain
Samhain spread when Julius Caesar invaded England. Romans also honored the dead, by celebrating Parentalia, a nine-day long festival starting on February 13 and ending on the 21st with Feralia. On Feralia, like the Celts, the Romans also offered the dead souls things like grain and salt. These similar customs soon merged with Samhain.
The Church Joins the Celebration
With the spread of Christianity, religious leaders wanted to rule out paganism. Instead of getting rid of old traditions, religious leaders assimilated the new traditions with the existing rituals. All Soul’s Day was declared by Pope Gregory III to honor saints. The day fell originally on May 13th but was changed to November 1st. The church also declared November 2nd as All Soul’s Day. People dressed up during All Souls’ Day, not to scare away spirits but to honor saints. People soon began to celebrate the day before All Saint’s Day. The day before All Saint’s Day was called All-Hallows Eve.
All-Hallows Eve came to be known as Halloween.
So, now that you know the origin of Halloween, from its origin in Samhain, to it’s spread due to Julius Caesar and its involvement with the church, be sure to strike up a friendly conversation with someone as you roam the streets on Halloween.