The History of Halloween
Exploring the Origins and Modern Practices of the Spooky Holiday
Oct 27, 2008
The modern holiday of Halloween originated in Ireland and underwent changes through the influence of Roman conquerors and Christianity. Eventually, the celebration made its way to North American shores and became the day we now observe on October 31.
Celtic Roots
The festival of Samhain was observed by the Celts over 2,000 years ago. In areas of the UK and Ireland, people would gather to celebrate their new year on November 1. The day before, which they referred to as Samhain, was thought to be a time when the boundaries between the material and spiritual worlds were blurred and spirits were free to walk the earth. The cold season, which was often associated with death, began shortly after the new year, so during this transitional period they believed that the dead could visit them and wreck havoc on their lives.
They believed that these spirits would cause trouble by destroying crops and performing other mischievous deeds. The Druids, or Celtic priests, used the opportunity of Samhain to make predications about the future of their people. The Druids encouraged people to burn crops and animals as sacrifices in giant bonfires that they would build to mark the occasion. Perhaps as a way to confuse the troublesome spirits, the Celts wore costumes during Samhain, usually made of animal skins. When the celebration was over, they would light their hearths with fire from the sacrificial bonfire. They believed this special fire would protect and warm them through the winter.
When in Rome...
The Romans had conquered much of the land inhabited by the Celts by A.D. 43. The two cultures combined their traditions as time went on and two Roman holidays became connected with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. Feralia was celebrated in late October by the Romans to honour the passing of the dead. Another Roman holiday, observed at around the same time, was a day devoted to honouring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. This is believed to be where the tradition of bobbing for apples came from, since the symbol of Pomona was the apple.
Christian Influence
The Christian faith had spread throughout the region by the 800s and its influence also came to shape the holiday we call Halloween. In an attempt to negate the pagan tradition of Samhain, the church tried to incorporate its own annual celebration to honour the dead. Pope Boniface IV declared November 1 to be All Saints’ Day (also referred to as All-hallows or All-hallowmas in Middle English) to honour saints and martyrs. The day before, once called Samhain, began to be referred to as All-hallows Eve. Eventually this morphed into Halloween.
Halloween Immigrates
Various practices and traditions related to Halloween travelled to North America along with European immigrants. The customs of these new Americans combined with some of the practices of the Native population and the holiday began to take on a distinctive American feel. In the southern colonies, Halloween festivals were celebrated to bring communities together to dance, sing, share stories and tell fortunes.
Many Americans held festivals to commemorate harvest or autumn, but Halloween did not become a common practice across America until the late nineteenth century with the arrival of a large number of immigrants, including many from Ireland. With the influence of Irish and English immigrants, Americans began dressing up in costumes and going door to door asking for food or money, while young women believed they could see the image of their true love by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings or mirrors. These two practices were the basis of the modern practice of trick-or-treating.
Americanized
Authority figures attempted to take the scary out of Halloween in the late 1800s by encouraging people to gather with their neighbours for celebrations that consisted of foods of the season, festive costumes and games. This move succeeded in eliminating much of the religious and superstitious aspects associated with the holiday. During the baby boom of the 1950s, Halloween became a holiday celebrated mainly by children and the old practice of trick-or-treating came back into fashion. People could avoid having incidents of vandalism directed at them during Halloween, which became a common occurrence in the 1920s and 30s, by providing kids with treats.
Modern Times
These days Halloween is celebrated in one form or another in many countries around the world. North American Halloween consists mainly of costume parties, trick-or-treating and ghoulish decorations. America spends 6.9 billion dollars per year on Halloween, second only to Christmas in terms of commercial holiday spending.
 |
