With the holiday season upon us and Halloween festivities taking place, lets take a moment to shine a light on the roles women have played in shaping the history of the mystery-filled holiday we call Halloween.
Women have started Halloween traditions thousands of years ago that we still follow today, from pumpkin carving to throwing Halloween festivals and events.
Although Halloween traditions have evolved as a result of different cultures residing within the same area and many traditions being carried on through lineages, the traditions started by women years ago still hold relevancy and importance. Women have pioneered Halloween customs for generations that have made Halloween into the holiday we know and love today!
Halloween`s history
There are many theories in circulation related to the start and history of Halloween, which is closely related to and resembles the “day of the dead” in Mexican heritage and cultures. Halloween is also believed to have gotten its start thousands of years ago, and traces back to the Celtic celebration of Samhain.
Samhain, was formerly a celebration of summers end which was essentially the end of harvest season. It was also believed to be a time where the veil between the living and the dead/physical and spiritual world was at its thinnest. Samhain was believed to be a time where the dead could walk amongst the living, interacting freely.
Halloween plays a vital role in relating the spiritual with the physical as we dress in costumes pouring life and energy into these mystical beings we portray. The central theme of Halloween was transition, whether it be from life to death or summer to winter.
It is quite possible, that Halloween has an eclectic mix of different traditions that have evolved over time, becoming more Americanized. Halloween is a holiday and tradition recognized and celebrated by every recorded civilization in some form or another, all with similar attributes of honoring and observing the unknown.
halloween traditions started by women
Apple bobbing was a tradition started by women as a fortune telling game on Halloween. Each apple represented a woman’s potential suiter and the apple she bit into represented her future spouse. Women would peel the bitten apple and throw the peels over their shoulders, believing those shavings would reveal their future partner’s initials. This started the tradition of trick or treating, as children went from door to door receiving apples, which evolved into receiving different fruits and now candy!
Pumpkin carving was a task given to women, who were in charge of the festivities given on Halloweens eve. A main component of creating holiday decorations involved women carving pumpkins to hallow them out and fill them with nuts and fruits. At the end of the festivities and events women would eat their filled pumpkins before bed. The goal in doing so was that on Halloween one would dream about her future spouse.
Halloween festivals were planned and decorated by women in the 19th century, as we see pumpkin carving was one component of the lavish parties thrown during Halloween eve. Women were responsible for the lavish decorations at these festivals as well as hosting the events. The success of harvest seasons end depended on the success of the festival, which was hosted, decorated, and planned by women!