The roots of Halloween can be traced back to over 2000 years ago, to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain which was celebrated on November 1 in what is now Ireland, United Kingdom and Northern France. Then, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. On the night before Samhain, on October 31, people believed that the dead returned as ghosts, so they would leave food and wine on their doorsteps to ward off roaming spirits, and would wear masks when they left the house so they would be mistaken for fellow ghosts!
Then in the 8th century (701-800 AD), the Roman Catholic church turned Samhain into All Saints Day or All Hallows Day, while the night before became All Hallows Eve – later shortened to Halloween. While trick-and-treating is done on Halloween, so was Guising and Souling – all three of which originated in medieval Britain.
Then, on November 2 – celebrated as All Souls Day, the needy would beg for pastries known as soul cakes, and in return would pray for people’s dead relatives (which was known as Souling), for good health, better weather and bounteous harvest. Also, in the medieval Halloween tradition of Guising, young people would dress up in costumes and accept food, wine, money and other offerings in exchange for singing, reciting poetry, or telling of jokes .
In the 19th century, immigrants from Ireland spread the Halloween tradition to the United States, where they revived old traditions associated with the festival. For example, Guising became trick-or-treating, which initially was more in the form of tricks than treats, and involved pranks. It wasn’t until later in the 19th century that Halloween became a family-friendly, kid-centred custom that involved giving out treats to young children who came knocking on doors.
Quick Facts
- This tradition is now very popular around the world, and even where the name has changed, the tradition has remained almost the same.
- At a time, young women believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple or mirrors.
- Some of the superstitions associated with Halloween included setting places at the dinner table, leaving treats on doorsteps and along the side of the road and lighting candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. Some people believed that witches avoided detection by turning themselves into cats, while others try not to walk under ladders, avoid breaking mirrors, stepping on cracks in the road or spilling salt.
- In the United States, more than $2.5 billion is spent on costumes, and more than $6 billion on candy – second only to Christmas.
And that’s all there is to Halloween, I bet you didn’t know this!
Source: history.com
