Halloween History

Samhain

Halloween used to be known as All Hallow's Eve. Halloween was first called All Hallow's Eve in the 16th century, and it's a Scottish name that was shortened from All-Hallows-Even. Halloween has come from the Celtic holiday that is known as Samhain. This is an old Irish name that means "summer's end" and this is also the name of their Lord of the Dead, also known as The Lord of Darkness. Samhain, (pronounced "sow-in") was a harvest festival that was observed by Celtic pagans from ancient times to the late medieval ages. This celebration was overseen by Celtic priests, also known as Druids. Many Neopagans, or modern day pagans, still celebrate Samhain to this day.

Who Were the Celts?

The Celts lived in modern day Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the north of France about 2,000 years ago.

Celtic Rituals

November 1st was the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Because butchering and harvest time is in the fall, the Celts believed that autumn was a time of death. They also believed that spirits, good and bad, could cross over into our world on the night of October 31st. The Druids, or Celtic priests, thought that the presence of ghosts made performing predictions about the future easier on this night. These forecasts made the long, horrendous, and cold winters easier for the Celts, because these predictions were their only comfort. They would build enormous bonfires and make sacrifices of animals and crops to the gods by burning them. The Celts would also celebrate Samhain by honoring the family's ancestors and inviting them home with them. They would ward off evil spirits by extinguishing their fires in the hearth, making their homes cold and unappealing. The Celts also took hollowed out turnips, which were known as samhnags, and carved faces on them to make lanterns, which were placed in windows. They also would relight the fires in their homes from the huge bonfire when Samhain was over to guard themselves against the coming of winter.

Costumes

During Samhain, the Celts would mask themselves in the skins and heads of dead animals. Young Scottish men copied the dead by wearing blackened veils, or masks and wore white clothing. By dressing up, the Scots were impersonating evil spirits to avoid harm from other evil spirits.

All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day

Christianity was brought to the land of the Celts in 800 AD and the Roman Catholic Church took over. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface I declared November 1st as All Saints' Day, and the Roman Catholic Church made November 2nd All Souls' Day in 1,000 AD. This day is also known as All-Hallow's or All-Hallowmas (deriving from the Middle English Alholowmesse). All Saints' Day commemorates Christian saints and martyrs. All Souls' Day is a day to honor the faithfully departed. Another English name for this day is the Feast of All Souls. This day stands for those who are dead that weren't cleansed of "forgivable" sins at death. When they died, these souls had not attained perfection and were denied entrance into Heaven, and trapped in Purgatory. The Roman Catholics believed that they could help these "lost souls" get to Heaven by the sacrifice of the Mass and by prayer. The name of this celebration is "The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed". Parades were held on this day and people would dress up.

Halloween Symbols and Folklore

The Halloween colors of black and orange represent the black of the night, autumn leaves, the color of fire, and pumpkins. In 1840, Halloween was first introduced to America by Irish immigrants who were suffering starvation from the potato famine. Pumpkins are affiliated with fall, so it became an American tradition to carve jack-o-lanterns in the mid-to-late 1800's. Irish folklore has it that an alcoholic man named Jack, loved to play pranks and he tricked Satan into climbing a tree. He trapped the devil by carving a cross on the trunk of the tree. Jack struck a deal with the devil, promising him that he'd let him down if Satan never tempted him again. When Jack died, he was not allowed into Heaven and he was also turned away at The Gates of Hell for beguiling the devil. He was given a lantern made out of a turnip to light his way throughout the darkness of the world. The Irish used turnips as lanterns and called them "Jack's lanterns".

In 43 AD, the Romans overpowered the Celts and this was when the Roman feast of Pomona and the festival of Feralia merged with Samahin. Pomona, who was a Roman goddess, represented abundance and plenty, and her name derives from the Latin word pomum. Bobbing for apples can be attributed to Pomona, because pomum means fruit, and she signified the apple. Feralia was a Roman festival which celebrated the spirits of the dead, otherwise known as Manes. Romans honored their ancestors by visiting their tombs and bringing offerings of bread soaked in wine and violets, salt, and an array of wreaths.. The Greek goddesses, Hecate and Medusa, also played a big part in Samhain. Zeus' favorite goddess was Hecate, also known as the goddess of witches, and she used to saunter between the world of the living and the dead, searching for the souls of the deceased. Medusa was a Gorgon, which was a terrifying female creature and she turned men to stone if they looked at her. Hecate and Medusa represented serpent goddesses and it is from the legacy of these two that started the vampire myths. The Ancient Britons also celebrated a similar festival on November 1st, that was known as Calan Gaeaf. This is also the name of the first day of winter in Wales and October 31st is known as Nos Calan Gaeaf, an Ysbrydnos, when spirits are believed to be around. Crossroads, stiles, and churchyards are averted because spirits are thought to abound there.

Trick-or-Treating

In Scotland, children sing a song or tell a ghost story to earn their treats, which is their version of trick-or-treating. Trick or treating came from the Europeans, dating back to the ninth century. On All Souls' Day, in England, the poor would go from house to house begging for "soul cakes", which were square pieces of bread with currants baked in. The more soul cakes they received, the better, because they would say a prayer for the donor's deceased loved ones. Christians believed that souls remained in limbo after the person died and that a prayer, even from a stranger, could deliver the soul of the deceased to Heaven. The church believed that this was a better celebration than the ancient one of leaving wine and food for spirits. This was known as "going a-souling" and the celebration passed on to children who would drop in on their neighbors and were given ale, food, and money.