What Is the History of Halloween?

The annual celebration of Halloween on October 31 is a mainstay across much of the Western world. This spooky event has a long history of enticing cultural traditions that light up the dark and cold weather, including carving jack o’ lanterns, trick-or-treating, dressing up, and bobbing for apples, which have evolved and adapted through the ages. But where did it all begin, and how did the day become so deeply ingrained in the fall calendar? This article delves into the history of Halloween to find out more.

Where Does Halloween Originally Come From?

The earliest origins of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a Gaelic word meaning “end of summer.”

The Celts of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France saw October 31 much as we now see New Year’s Eve, marking the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. Indeed, the Celtic new year began on the first day of November.

For the Celts, this particular date was deeply significant because it signaled the beginning of winter, when the nights grew darker and the colder weather set in. For communities dependent on the unpredictable patterns of nature, the shift from fall to winter was filled with fear and uncertainty. The festival helped them to gain some sense of reassurance and security.

Celts believed that on October 31, the walls between the living and the dead broke down, allowing ghosts to enter the living world and cause all sorts of trouble.

Druids gathered people together during Samhain to host vast bonfires to sacrifice animals to the Celtic gods as a way to ask for a short and mild winter. The Celts would also dress up in elaborate costumes made from animal heads and skins. Many wore disguises to avoid being recognized by ghosts while walking around after dark.

Ancient Roman Celebrations

As the ancient Romans conquered Celtic land, they also absorbed influences from Celtic cultural traditions, which included fall festivities that paved the way for Halloween as we know it today.

One of these was called Feralia, a festival held on February 21 when Romans paid tribute to the dead. Feralia marked the end of Parentalia, an annual nine-day festival to honor the ancestors.

Romans also organized an annual festival for Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit. Her symbol was the apple, which some believe led the way for apple bobbing and toffee apples that we now celebrate as part of Halloween.

Interestingly, like the Celts, the ancient Romans believed that the threshold separating the world of the living and the dead opened on certain days. Known as Mundus Patet (“the world is open”), the festival is often described as the Roman Halloween. In ancient Rome, the mundus was an underground pit believed to be the gate to the underworld. According to some ancient sources, the mundus was located where Romulus dug Rome’s foundation pit. Others linked it with the cult of Ceres, the goddess of wheat and harvest.

Martyrs, Saints, and Souls

During the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Roman Pantheon, turning the pagan temple into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all Christian martyrs. The ceremony was held on May 13, the day when the Roman Church held All Martyrs’ Day. The festival later expanded to include saints, and Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1.

By the 11th century, the Christian church had evolved the celebration into two separate events: All Saints’ Day, on November 1, a feast day which became a reminder for us to live like saints, and All Souls’ Day, an event for paying tribute to the deceased, celebrated on November 2. Both festivals remain a cornerstone of the Catholic faith.

From All Hallows’ Eve to Halloween

Over time, the name of All Saints’ Day evolved into several other variations, including All-hallowmas. This term comes from the Middle English phrase Alholowmesse, which meant All Saints Day, or the shortened All-hallows. The night before the day of festivities subsequently became known by many as All-Hallows Eve, a name which in turn became Halloween.

Many modern Halloween traditions can also be traced back to All Saints’ Day. The concept of ‘trick-or-treating,’ for example, likely evolved from the practice of ‘going-a-souling’ on All Souls’ Day.

During the 15th-century celebration of All Souls’ Day, the poor would go door to door asking for food, and be offered out ‘soul cakes’ with crosses on top from kind neighbors. In return, they promised to pray for their neighbors’ dearest deceased. Eventually, the custom was adopted by children, who began collecting the cakes for themselves during Halloween.

Halloween As We Know It Today

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Halloween evolved into a deeply ingrained cultural tradition, marking the beginning of the annual harvest.

Communities would host parties for telling ghost stories and fortune-telling, including rituals where women would try to predict who their future husband would be.

Many modern Halloween traditions came to the US in the 19th century, brought by Irish and Scottish immigrants. Over time, the festival gained popularity outside the European immigrant communities in the US, turning into a mainstream annual celebration. Then, Halloween’s core focus was predominantly on creating a secular festival aimed at bringing people together to celebrate the fall season.

However, by the 20th century, Halloween had evolved into the spooky, ghoul-laden festival we know today. This shift was in part due to a proliferation of clever marketing and movie franchises throughout the 1950s and beyond.

Meanwhile, the practice of trick-or-treating evolved into a celebratory event where children would perform tricks and collect sweets from locals in their neighborhood.