Halloween is celebrated on October 31st every year.
Today, Halloween is known as the holiday that has costumes, trick or treating, movies, and video games. It’s a time to get a bag full of candy and share with friends or siblings. While this might be how we celebrate Halloween now, the history of the well-known holiday is little different.
Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced sow-in) from 2,000 years ago.
Samhain started in modern day Ireland. Celtic priests known as druids would build large bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices. The Celts wore animal skins and animal heads while they attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
When the celebration was over, they would relight the fire for winter and their health.
The tradition of dressing in costumes for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. In medieval Europe, winter was an uncertain and frightening season. Food supplies often ran low and many people were afraid of the darkness. The short days brought constant worry in the town.
Other than fear, people were also worried ghosts would return to the Earth on All Hallows’ Eve. To avoid being recognized by these spirits, villagers would wear masks or disguises, hoping the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits and leave them alone.
The American Halloween tradition of trick or treating dates back to early All Souls’ Day festivals in England.
During the festival, the poor citizens would beg for foods in exchange for prayers for the homeowners’ deceased relatives. Families would give them pastries called “soul cakes.”
Children later adopted the practice, going door to door asking for gifts of food, money, or treats.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, community-centered holiday with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment.
Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, people began to vandalize and disrupt festivities. It started to plague some celebrations in many communities during this time.
By 1950, the centuries old practice of trick or treating was revived and became a popular tradition.
Trick or treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration and prevent tricks from being played by providing the neighborhood children with small treats.
By the late 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited the amount of vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young due to the high amount of children born during the Baby Boom. Parties moved from the town civic center into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated.
Today, Halloween has grown into a massive holiday characterized by candy, costumes, and cries of “Trick or Treat!”
