Originally posted October 29th, 2018
Halloween is just about here! Tricks and treats, costumes, parties and all around fun. The history of Halloween has changed so much since its inception, but some things have remained the same. Halloween originated in Ireland about 2,000 years ago and was was a Celtic festival originally referred to as Samhain (Sow-in) and was a celebration of the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was believed that on October 31, the veil between our reality and the dead was lifted, so ghosts were able to roam the earth. People put on animal skins and masks as costumes so bad ghosts wouldn’t bother them and they left treats outside their door for good ghosts, similar to the Christmas tradition of leaving cookies out for Santa Claus. The Celts believed that, on this day, these spirits could damage crops and cause trouble and druids (Celtic priests) were able to tell prophecies. They built huge bonfire and crops and animals were thrown in as sacrifices to the gods.
Across decades, many other cultural customs joined this day to make what we now know as Halloween. The Roman Empire had conquered most Celtic territory by 43 AD and that affected a lot of the traditions celebrated during Samhain. Two Roman holidays in particular were incorporated into Samhain: Feralia and Pomona. Feralia was a day to remember dead ancestors and Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, symbolized by an apple. In 609 AD, the Pope dedicated November 1, the day after Halloween, as All Saints Day, a Catholic festival dedicated to saints and martyrs. All Saints Day was eventually merged with All Souls Day, the Catholic version of Samhain, to honor the dead. They lit bonfires and dressed as saints, angels and devils. The name was eventually changed to All Hallows and the day before, the traditional day of Halloween, was All-Hallows Eve.
Originally, beggars participated in the tradition of trick or treating during All Souls Day. Poor people would go door to door begging for food and would be given soul cakes in exchange for a prayer. The superstition of it being bad luck to cross a black cat only became relevant during the medieval ages when it was believed that witches could become black cats. The tradition of bobbing for apples derived from the Roman celebration for Pomona and was originally an activity done to determine your future spouse. Women would mark an apple and who ever pulled that specific apple was whom they were destined to marry. The tradition of making jack-o-lanterns was derived from an old Irish folktale. The story goes that a local drunk named Jack drew a cross on a tree and trapped the Devil. In exchange for letting him down, the Devil promised not to claim his soul upon his death. Well upon his death he was not accepted into Heaven and when he asked the Devil to be accepted into Hell, he got a coal thrown at him for his trouble. He put the coal in the jack-o-lantern to light his way for eternity, looking for a place to rest. Originally, the lantern was a carved turnip and not a pumpkin.
Halloween is such an epic time to have fun, although sometimes it is so misunderstood. It definitely doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it sometimes gets. It came from a time where mysticism was prevalent and it’s a mixture of cultures that have lasted for centuries. For one day out of the year it’s nice to believe in a little magic.