Articles and Stories

October 31, 2015

Halloween originated with Celtic festival of Samhain. The holiday marked the beginning of winter, which, during this period of time, was often associated with death. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31st ghosts of the deceased returned to wreak havoc and destroy their crops. During Samhain the Celts would dress in costume and have bonfires with sacrifices to the gods.

November 1st was the celebration of the New Year for the Celts and later in eighth century would be known as All Saints’ Day, a day for recognizing saints and martyrs. The All Saints’ Day celebration was known as All-hallows, therefore making October 31st All Hallows’ Eve, which would later become Halloween.

So how did Halloween evolve into the holiday it is today? The tradition of “trick or treating” stems from the practice of “going a-souling”, which was when poor families would ask for food from the wealthy during the festivities of All Saint’s Day. They would receive pastries known as “soul cakes” in return for praying for the souls of those who had passed.

Both the Celts and Europeans dressed in costume on Halloween. They believed that the costumes or masks would disguise them from the ghosts that returned from the dead every Halloween. People also placed bowls of food on their doorsteps to make offerings to the spirits and prevent them from entering their homes.

While you can see the similarities, today’s Halloween is a far cry from what it was centuries ago. Now children, adults, and sometimes even pets dress in costumes and go door to door trying to collect the most candy they can in a single night.