Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.

Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween.

In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children’s holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

Halloween’s Celtic Origin

The holiday that evolved into Halloween was first celebrated over 2,000 years ago by the Celtic people, who called it Samhain. The Samhain festival served as the New Year for the Celtic People, as their calendars started on 1 November. During Samhain they celebrated the fall harvest and the coming of winter with huge bonfires. In the bonfires they sacrificed crops and animals to the Celtic deities. The Celts also wore animal skins and heads during the Samhain bonfires, which is where the Halloween tradition of costumes likely originated.

Halloween’s Christian Origin

 In the 600’s A.D., 1 November was designated by the Pope to be All Saints Day; a day to celebrate and honor Christian saints and martyrs. It is believed that Pope Boniface IV chose 1 November as All Saints Day to replace the pagan Samhain festival with a church-approved holiday.

All Saints Day became known as “All Hallows Day” due to the Middle English word for it, which was ‘Alholowmesse.’ Therefore, the night before All Hallows Day became known as “All Hallow’s Eve.”

The church later appointed 2 November as “All Souls’ Day,” a day to honor loved ones who have passed on. During All Souls’ Day parades in England, “soul cakes” were passed out to poor people in return for a promise that they would pray for departed family members. The All Souls’ Day cake giving, along with the tradition of leaving food on one’s doorstep to appease spirits, evolved into trick-or-treating.

The Tradition of Pumpkin Carving 

 The Irish Legend of Jack: The idea of pumpkin carving originated in Irish folklore. According to legend, a man named Jack (who was fond of pranks and liquor) tricked the Devil into climbing up a tree. Once the Devil was in the tree Jack drew a cross on the tree truck, trapping him there. This of course made the Devil extremely angry, so when Jack died he was denied by both Heaven (for his pranks and drinking) and by Hell (apparently the Devil doesn’t like jokes).With nowhere to go for the afterlife, legend says that Jack was left to wander through cold darkness alone. The devil tossed him a single burning ember from Hell to light the way, which was then placed in a hollowed-out turnip to last longer. Thus, Jacks Lanterns were born.

 From Turnip Lanterns to Spooky Pumpkins: Turnip lanterns eventually turned into pumpkin lanterns in America, where pumpkins grew more bountifully than turnips. And that was the birth of the modern Jack-o-Lantern, a carved pumpkin with an ember inside to light the way.

 Halloween Today… is a purely recreational holiday. It’s a night to get together to enjoy parties, food and fun costumes.

If you go out trick-or-treating, go in groups, obey all pedestrian rules and check all treats before eating them.

For more information about Halloween costumes and masks, stories to read, games and crafts and other fun things to do, visit www.halloween.com.