History of Halloween

The history of Halloween goes back more than 2,000 years. This festival, celebrated each year by children and adults in the United States, is based on an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain.

Halloween evolved from ancient Celtic culture.

The Celts were a group of people who lived in what is now Ireland, Great Britain and the northern part of France. They celebrated the New Year on November 1. October 31 was the day that marked the official end of the summer growing season and the harvest. The Celts knew the approaching season was a long, cold winter.

For the Celts, winter was a dark time of year with fewer daylight hours. It was also a season associated with death. They believed that on the night of October 31, ghosts were able to come back to earth. The ghosts were not the friendly variety; instead, they came back to damage crops and torment the living. Since the barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead was thinner on October 31, this was the day when Celtic priests made predictions for the future.

The Celtic priests were also known as the Druids, and they made Samhain a big event by lighting large bonfires. The Druids also dressed up in costumes that were made from animal heads and skins.

When they were finished with the Samhain celebrations, the Celts re-lit the fires in their homes from the flames of those sacred bonfires. They thought it would help to keep them safe and warm all winter.

The Romans eventually conquered the territory where the Celts lived, and the tradition of observing Samhain was eventually combined with two Roman celebrations. One of these was a day in late October known as "Feralia" that was traditionally set aside to remember the dead. The second Roman festival was one to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Her symbol was an apple, so it's possible that the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples came from her association with Samhain.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had taken hold in the lands formerly occupied by the Celts. Pope Boniface IV declared November 1 to be All Saints Day. This may have been the Church's way of trying to replace Pagan celebrations with ones that were more in keeping with its views. All Saints Day was also called "All Hallows", and the night before (October 31) was known as "All Hallows Eve". Eventually, All Hallows Eve evolved into the word "Halloween".

In the year 1000, the Church declared that November 2 would be observed as "All Souls Day". This Church-sanctioned festival, designed to honor the dead, was celebrated in a similar way as Samhain. Large bonfires were lit, and people dressed up in costumes and marched in a parade. The costumes people wore were based on the themes of angels, devils and saints.

These three festivals, known as All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, became known as Hallowmas. Components from all three were combined to form part of the history of Halloween, and we still observe similar traditions today.

Halloween has a number of superstitions associated with it. Here are some examples:

• When a group of people having dinner together eat in silence, it encourages spirits to join the gathering at the table.
• Ringing a bell on Halloween night will frighten evil spirits away.
• If a bat flies into your home on Halloween night, it's a sign that spirits are nearby. The spirits may be responsible for letting the bat in.
• Seeing a spider on Halloween could be a sign that a deceased loved one is watching you.
• Don't turn around to look if you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween night. It may be a ghost. If you do turn around to look, you might die very soon.
• Light a candle on Halloween night. If the flame goes out on its own, you have a ghost in the room.

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