History of Halloween
Origins, meaning, and rituals of Halloween
The time of Halloween has finally arrived. It is now the time of brainstorming spooky costume ideas, pumpkin-flavored snacks, and indulging in candies from our kid’s trick and treat. In the midst of all these Halloween parties. Have you ever wondered about the origin of Halloween? Here, I am going to tell you about the history of Halloween. After all the tradition actually dates back many, many years.
The origin of Halloween
Halloween originated from the Celtic festival named Samhain.Celts used to live 2,000 years back in the Celtic islands that we now know as the United Kingdom, Ireland.
The Celts used to celebrate their new year on November 1. It was the end of harvest, summer, and the beginning of cold, dark winter. The time which is associated with death. Celts usually believed that the night before their new year, the veil between the living and the dead becomes very thin. On this night, the ghosts can return to the living world. On this night, October 31 the day before New year, they used to celebrate Samhain.
The Celts used to build huge sacred bonfires. They used to gather by the fire in costumes. The costume was usually made of animal skins and heads. They used to think if the spirits saw them in these masks and costumes, they won’t recognize them as humans. The bonfire was to ward off the ghosts. They also used to burn corps into the fire and sacrifice animals.
The 'All Saint’s day’
On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface dedicated Pantheon in Rome in the honor of Christian martyrs and the day was celebrated with feasts. Later on, Pope Gregory III devoted the festival to all saints and martyrs. He also moved the observance from May 13 to November 1.
By the ninth century, the impact of Christianity spread into Celtic Islands. Soon after that, the church made November 2 “All soul’s day”. A day to honor the dead.
All souls day was celebrated similarly to the Samhain festival. They used light-up big bonfires and wore costumes of Angels, demons, and saints.
The meaning of the word ‘Halloween’
The word itself means Hallowed evening. The Europeans used to previously celebrate it as ‘All Hallow’s eve’ All Hallow’s eve ( October 31) and All Saint’s Day ( November 1) both paid commemorate to saints. Hallow means saints.
The name was eventually shortened to “Halloween” which we know and adore to this day.
Old rituals of Halloween
The early Samhain holiday involved a lot of ritualistic festivals to connect to spirits and the dead.
They used to celebrate in costumes as a disguise against ghosts. Indulged in special feasts and also made lanterns by hollowing out pumpkins. Hence, the jack-o’-lanterns were created.
The rituals were simple and fun games. They used to tell fortune by apples on this day. Apples would be selected to represent all of a woman’s suitors. and the apple she ended up biting would represent her future husband.
Another popular ritual was mirror gazing. People hoped to catch a vision of their future by looking into the mirror.
Fortune cookies were also a part of these rituals. People wrote messages on a piece of paper in milk and the note was folded and placed into Walnut shells. Then the shells would be heated, causing the milk to brown just enough for the message to mystically appear on the paper.
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat is a common Halloween custom. Children dress up in costumes and go house to house ringing the doorbells, asking for treats with the phrase 'Trick or Treat’.
This ritual goes way back to when poor people would visit the houses of richer families and receive a pastry or biscuit-like treat called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the house owner’s dead relatives. The practice was known as “souling.” Some believed people dressed up as saints on “All Hallow’s eve" and went from door to door for food or money. Later the custom was taken up by children.
Modern-day Halloween
Halloween wasn’t an American thing at first. The celebration of Halloween was limited to Colonial new England. As the beliefs and customs of European ethnic groups and the American Indians merged, a new American version of Halloween began to emerge.
In the 19th century, America was flooded with new immigrants from Ireland because of the Irish Potato Famine. Which helped popularize the celebration of Halloween.
Thus, a new tradition was born and it continued to grow. Now it is the second biggest tradition after Christmas.
Modern-day Halloween is filled with Halloween parties, Halloween-themed decor, Halloween-themed food, scary makeovers, costumes, pumpkin-spiced foods, and Jack-o’-lanterns.
We all love the customs and traditions of Halloween. Children roaming in the streets with their costumes asking for ‘Trick or Treats.’ The whole city gets decorated with a Halloween theme. A great time to have fun with your family and friends.
Reference
https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
