Halloween is a well-known holiday that is celebrated on October 31. It is portrayed around the nation, where people of all ages dress up and give out candy to trick-or-treaters. But did you know that it didn’t start that way?
This annual tradition started in Celtic culture, where they celebrated the Festival of Samhain. This energetic commemoration was held on November 1 and was recognized as the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed the night before this solstice symbolized a time when the worlds of the living and dead blurred together, and ghosts could return to earth.
Later in the 9th century, Christianity began to intermix with the Celts’ ways, and American culture began to merge with their ancient rituals. In the year 1000, the church established All Souls’ Day on November 1 to honor those who had died. They did this because Protestant beliefs limited the activities they were allowed to due to the holiday’s connection to the dead. This day was honored with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up – commonly as saints, devils, or angels. This day was also named All-hallows or All-hallowmas, and the day before it was called All-Hallows Eve, which later evolved to Halloween.
Even after making it an official holiday, many harvest-related festivities were celebrated, but Halloween wasn’t. It wasn’t until the Irish Potato Famine that many started to become familiar with this holiday. After the famine in 1845, many Irish immigrants traveled to the United States, and the idea of Halloween came with it. After this, Halloween began to spread throughout the nation and only continued to grow. Although Halloween might be celebrated in different ways today, the festivity and amazing costumes remain the same throughout history.
Information Source: https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-halloween
Image Source: https://www.history.com/articles/halloween-costume-trends-photos