Halloween Origins

Dear Lovelies,

I think it is fascinating how things originate – notably traditions and holidays. And the origin of Halloween is especially interesting…

Did you know that Halloween most likely originated from a Celtic festival called Samhain (a Gaelic word, pronounced sow-win)? The ancient Celts lived over 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, northern France, and the United Kingdom. Samhain marks the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice, when home fires were left to burn out while folks gathered the harvest. In celebration of the completed harvest, they would gather with Druid priests around massive bonfires and pray.

Being superstitious, the Celts believed that the barrier between the physical and spirit worlds was especially thin during Samhain. They would dress in costumes as animals or monsters to keep fairies from kidnapping them. Fast forward a few hundred years, the church establishes All Saints Day on November 1 to commemorate all the saints of the church. A couple centuries later, Christianity has continued to spread into Celtic lands as well and the church creates All Souls Day to honor the dead, attempting to replace the Celtic festival.

Another name for All Saints Day was All-hallows or All-hallowmas (a Middle English word) and the night before it, traditionally Samhain, was called All Hallows Eve. Eventually to become Halloween. The three holidays, Samhain, All Hallows, and All Souls Day, over the course of following centuries, essentially merged into the more secular, Halloween. Exceptions including All Saints worship services in Lutheran churches, for one.

Time and culture have continued to tweak traditions, costumes are still worn on Halloween but are not necessarily as scary, due to folks are less worried about the kidnapping fairies. It wasn’t until the mass production and affordability of costumes in the 1950’s that costumes took on the “look” of today’s more modern costumes.

Souling was the origin of trick-or-treating: poor people would go to the homes of wealthier families to receive pastries, “soul cakes,” in exchange for praying for the dead relatives of the homeowners. Later, it became children who went door to door asking for gifts of money, food, or ale. And then of course, what we are more familiar with today. Little cuties “trick” or treating for candy.

Did you know? The average household receives three trick-or-treaters; and spends an average amount of $25 for Halloween candy. Leftovers, anyone?

Anyhoo, the more you know… the more you know.

Happy All-Hallows Eve!

Traci Billman, Director of Christian Education