A History of Halloween: How Did This Spooky Celebration Start?
Hey there! I hope you have interest in History because this will be an interesting one. Knowing the History of Halloween we celebrate today and how this spooky celebration started. Grab something to drink and see ya
Halloween, known by different names in different countries, has become one of the most popular spooky celebrations around the world today. What started as a time to remember the dead, evolved into children dressing up in costumes and begging for candy from neighbors and strangers alike on October 31st. In this article, we explore the origins of Halloween and how its traditions developed into what we know today as trick or treat or carving pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns. Happy Halloween!
What is Trick-or-Treating
Trick-or-treating is a popular activity among children on Halloween, though it has evolved over the years. The first recorded instance of trick-or-treating occurred in America’s colonial days when people would go door to door asking for food or other types of charity as an act of humility.
In Britain and Ireland, guising – going from house to house in disguise – was a traditional Halloween pastime. Today many children enjoy trick-or-treating without dressing up. Kids usually knock on doors and say trick or treat while dressed in their Halloween costumes waiting for someone to offer them candy. given candy, they usually say thank you and sometimes shout trick or treat! before running away.
What is Celtic tradition?
The ancient Celtic festival Samhain was about the end of summer and harvest time, when the God of Death visited Earth to take away unworthy souls. The Celts lived across Europe in centuries past, and their Druids (priests) presided over two halves of the year–the light half and the dark half. The celebrations took place during a three-day period from October 31st through November 2nd each year, according to Celtic mythology. They called it Samhain a this was a betwixt-and-between time, when those who have passed on could walk among the living without being seen or having any physical form.
The ancient Celtic festival Samhain can be traced back to an ancient Gaelic festival known as Oíche Shamhna, which literally means Samhain night. It’s believed that both these festivals share many similarities with modern day Halloween.
Pumpkin Carving
Pumpkin carving is a fall tradition that is popular with kids and adults alike. Started by the Native Americans who hollowed out large gourds and used them as lanterns. The use of pumpkins started with the introduction of pie! Pie being more accessible to many more people than apples. Pies were often made from pumpkins in colonial America. However, it wasn’t until thanksgiving became a popular holiday and pumpkin carving was used for decoration.
Scary costumes for Halloween
Thanksgiving is the reason we have so many spooky celebrations to enjoy throughout the year. Many people in England celebrated Halloween before the arrival of Europeans on North America’s shores. The scary costumes, history and traditions that are now part of what we call Hallowe’en originated in Celtic tradition for our holiday actually began with a day called All Saints Day, November 1st. Dressing up in scary costumes is a tradition that dates back to at least the Middle Ages when people would dress up to do away with evil spirits and frighten away thieves and trespassers. Ancient Romans wor masks to fend off harmful spirits as well. Even Queen Elizabeth I wore a white mask during her reign in order to guard against smallpox epidemics!
Where did jack o lanterns come from?
We don’t know who created the first jack o’lantern, but in Irish folklore they’re typically from an old turnip. The name itself comes from the Gaelic term Stingy Jack. A spooky tale explains how Stingy Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Jack cut down the branch and leaving a live coal in his hand. When he put it into a turnip which he had hollowed out, he created his very own primitive lantern.
Trick-or-treat
It’s a very American custom, but trick-or-treating dates back to England. The Puritans used halloween as an excuse to play games and eat sweets for one night only. One tradition was for a person to dress up as the devil or other ghouls, go from door to door in the neighborhood and ask for food in exchange for a bit of scary entertainment.
In different parts of the world, both All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day have roots in pagan traditions. But their common ground is the Christian tradition. The Catholic Church merged the two holidays by instituting November 1 as a day to honor all saints after All Hallows had become such a widely celebrated day that was so close to November 2, All Souls Day (a Catholic holiday observing deceased loved ones).
The history behind witches and wizards in the Halloween celebration
Our long history with the magical world, which dates back as far as 600 A.D., has a lot to do with how and why we celebrate this holiday today. Many believe that the Pagan observance known as Samhain was the origin for modern day celebrations such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, and pumpkin carving, although there are other theories too. The Celts thought this night marked the end of summer and beginning of winter. They celebrated by dressing in costumes, lighting bonfires, wearing masks and telling each other stories about various creatures including ghosts, goblins, fairies and witches.
This festival is linked to Pope Gregory IV who saw Saints Nereus and Achilleus drive away bad spirits in a vision.
Why do we say happy halloween instead of happy hallowmas
Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is a celebration on October 31 in honor of the Christian saints. Some people say it’s because All Saints’ Day falls on November 1, but others believe that Hallow actually refers to the contraction for Holy. The celebrations in pagan Celtic cultures focused on ghosts and other spirits who roamed the earth at this time. Pope Gregory IV issued his Halloween Canon 600 A.D that Christians should not participate in these old pagan rituals. By 1300 A.D, most Christians did not know or care about the origins of their holiday and celebrated as they pleased- often with games, tricks and masquerades.
Scary Halloween Costumes and Masks 2021
Further reading
The origin of Black Friday
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