Halloween's Ancient Origins
Everyone knows that October 31st is a day for parades, costumes and trick-or-treaters ringing doorbells…but did you know that Halloween’s roots are ancient?
2000 years ago, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France celebrated the New Year on November 1st. It was the end of summer, a time to harvest, and the beginning of winter. Winter was associated with death and the Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the veil between this world and that of the dead was very thin. On October 31st, the festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-in) was celebrated. Druids, or Celtic priests, were thought to be more able to predict the future on Samhain. Bonfires were built and the people burned crops and sacrificed animals to Celtic deities. Druids were costumes and told fortunes.
By 43 AD, most of the Celtic territory had been conquered by the Romans. Over time, Roman festivals merged with those of Samhain. Feralia was a day in late October that commemorated the passing of the dead. There was also a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Pomona’s symbol is an apple and this may be where our “bobbing for apples” came from.
In 609 AD, on May 31st, Pope Boniface IV established All Martyrs Day to honor Christian martyrs. Pope Gregory III later expanded this day to include all saints and moved it to November 1st. Around 1,000 AD, the church made November 2nd All Souls Day – A day to honor the dead. The church was trying to replace the Celtic festival with a church sanctioned day. It also became known as All-Hallows or Al-hallowmas (from Middle English, Alholowmesse, meaning All Saints Day. The night before began to be called All Hallows Eve or Halloween.
Halloween was observed in some of the colonies in America and blended with American Indian celebrations of harvest. Neighbors would also share stories of the dead, tell fortunes, dance and sing. Ghost stories were including and mischief making. By the mid 19th century, Halloween was still not celebrated everywhere in the country.
The second half of the 19th century brought millions of Irish immigrants to America. Irish and English traditions blended, dressing up and going from house to house asking for food or money began. On All Souls Day, when poor citizens would beg for food, families would give them “soul cakes” in return for prayers for the family’s dead relatives. The people would wear masks when they left their homes so the wandering spirits wouldn’t recognize them. They would also put out bowls of food to appease the ghosts and keep them from entering their homes.
By the late 1800’s, there was a shift to make the day more about community get-togethers and less about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. Here, much of the superstitions and religious overtones were lost. As we moved into the 1920’s and ‘30’s, the holiday became more geared to children, with parties and trick-or-treating.
Today, it is a holiday with an emphasis on children, trick-or-treating and candy. Nearly ¼ of the year’s candy sales are made at Halloween. Pranks, mischief and vandalism also seem attached to this day. For most, the true meaning and feeling of Halloween has been lost, but with such ancient roots, Halloween will be with us for years to come. Perhaps this year you’ll give out some soul cakes when ghosts and ghouls come knocking, or tell ghost stories beside a roaring bonfire. Let’s keep these ancient traditions alive.
