WHERE DOES HALLOWEEN COME FROM?

Halloween is a holiday with many traditions, celebrated mainly by citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland regardless of religion. Halloween stems from an ancient Celtic holiday called Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”). Samhain was celebrated around October 31 to November 1, when its participants believed that the world of the gods and the dead gained access to the world of the living. According to the Library of Congress, any Halloween traditions come directly from the Samhain festival, such as costuming, trick-or-treating, and carving jack-o’-lanterns [2].

The most important part of Samhain to the Celts were the massive communal fires that were said to cleanse and protect their community. Villagers would light torches from these bonfires and use them to relight their homes’ fireplaces. This was seen as a way to connect the community [1]. Participation in the festivities of Samhain was seen as vital, and it was believed that those who were not involved would be punished by the gods [3].

THE WORLD OF HALLOWEEN; GRAPHIC BY ELLA STINEMAN, RYAN WEBER, OLIVIA FULLER AND LILYAN JANECEK

One tradition that was popular in Scotland was the Halloween cake. A cake would be baked with a ring, a coin, and a button inside of it. If you found the ring, you would be married. If you found the coin, you would become rich. If you found the button, you would never marry [1].

Celebrants of Samhain made and wore costumes designed to scare away evil spirits, as it was believed that gods, fairies, monsters, and the dead were out to play tricks on—or even abduct—humans during this time. Some monsters that Celts feared were a shape-shifting one called Pukah, a headless woman called The Lady Gwyn, and the headless horsemen whose appearances heralded death, called the Dullahan [3].

  The exact origins of trick-or-treating are unknown. One theory is that it stems from an old Scottish tradition where children would go to people’s houses and receive treats or money in exchange for their prayers for the dead. Later, it became common that children would sing songs or tell jokes in exchange for the treats, and this is where the term, “trick-or-treat” is thought to come from. Another theory is that the practice originated in America. 

There was a German-American Christmas tradition called “belsnickeling” where children would dress up in costumes and go door-to-door, having adults try to guess their identity. If they couldn’t guess, they gave the children candy [2].

Carving jack-o’-lanterns comes from the old Irish legend of Stingy Jack, who captured the Devil. Stingy Jack said he would let the Devil go if he promised he wouldn’t take him when he died. The Devil agreed, but when Jack died, Heaven did not accept him. He was forced to be a ghost on earth, where he carried a carved turnip with a burning coal inside of it to light his way. It then became a tradition to carve faces into turnips, and later, pumpkins [2].

Halloween has seen many changes through the centuries, but it still remains tightly tied to its origin.

Sources

1.) “Halloween Traditions | Scotland.org.” Scotland, 2023.

2.) “The Origins of Halloween Traditions | Headlines & Heroes.” The Library of Congress, 26 Oct. 2021.