History of Halloween
The tradition of Halloween is rooted in ancient Celtic folklore.
Two thousand years ago, Celts in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France celebrated the new year on November 1st.
On October 31st, Celts would participate in a pagan spiritual celebration known as Samhain. During Samhain, families burned hearth fires in their homes while they gathered the harvest. When the harvest was completed, families and Druid priests would light a community fire: families would then take a flame back home to relight their hearths. This ritual was supposed to help them during the harsh winter days. During the celebrations, Celts wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.
They believed that on October 31st, dead spirits would return. Families would invite their deceased ancestors to join them for dinner. The adults would give updates on what they have been doing in the past year to the departed ancestors; then, the children entertained their ancestors by playing games. Windows and doors would be left open so the spirits could come in and eat the cakes that were left for them. Leading up to Samhain, in ancient Ireland, people would go door to door singing songs to the dead. This was called mumming, and cakes were given out to the singers.
