Halloween is not far off. Do you ever wonder how this consumer holiday came about? Well, sit down because I’m about to give you a brief history lesson in all things spooky. Halloween originated from the Celtic holiday, Samhain, which was celebrated from October 31st to November 1st. Samhain ushers in the harvest season and brings about what they refer to as “the dark half of the year.” Those who celebrate it, typically pagans, believe this is the time of the year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is thin or broken-down, allowing interaction between us and the dead. This is why some of you with super religious parents couldn’t celebrate the candy season with your friends, because paganism is contagious apparently.
You’re probably wondering how we got to costumes and candy. Well, those who celebrate Samhain would light bonfires on hilltops to use to relight the fires in their hearths to ward off evil spirits. Some would even wear masks to not be recognized by the spirits. Tables of food would even be left out for these spirits. This holiday was later masked by All Saints Day in hopes to stop pagan celebrations. Pope Boniface IV moved it from May 13th to November 1st around the 7th century. A few centuries later in Medieval Europe the poor would go to the wealthy to receive what was known as “soul cakes” in exchange for praying for the family’s dead. This is where the tradition of trick-or-treating comes from.
Today, Halloween and the tradition of trick-or-treating has become a fun holiday for children to dress up and eat candy. Most, if not all, of its original religious affiliations have disappeared. Americans nowadays roughly spend about 2.6 billion on candy for Halloween. I personally would like to go back to burning bonfires on the hill but I’ll just take some candy. Happy Halloween all you witches and ghouls!