The History Of Halloween

Halloween, a time for pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon- scented candles, and best of all, the candy. Now, as much as we love this holiday, none of us ever truly bother to ask the question: How did Halloween ever come to be? 

How It Began

The origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival, called Samhain (Sow-win). Starting nearly 2,000 years ago, this one day of the year would mark the ending of summer and the start of winter. A time that, often back then, was associated with death. The Celtics believed that on this night, the line/boundary of the living and the dead weakened, letting the spirits into our world. So on the night of October 31st (Halloween now), they celebrated Samhain, which is when they believed the dead returned to earth. 

How It Evolved 

From Celtic rituals to dressing up as a pirate, Halloween has most definitely changed quite a lot. Nowadays, kids walk the streets dressed as a witch or a cheetah., but in  ancient Celtic times, people would dress as animals and monsters on this night, so that  the demons and spirits that they believed crossed over into their world on Samhain would not kidnap or hurt them. 

Celtics back then would leave offerings of food and drinks, almost like a peace offering to the spirits. And just like a lot of holidays, Halloween evolved, adding Christian and European qualities to the holiday. By the 10th century, Christians caught wind of Samhain, and eventually nicknamed it All Hallows Eve, which later people renamed Halloween. 

How did Trick or Treating Come About

And finally,  the best part of Halloween – trick or treating!  In England and Ireland, on Halloween, poor people would go to the houses of wealthier families and ask for pastries and food. And in exchange, the people would pray for the family’s deceased relatives. This was known as “souling,” which later, children started “souling” too. And the rest is trick-or-treat  history. 

How Its Going

Because of the ancient Celts , a new American tradition was born. People in America spend around 11 billion dollars on Halloween every year, making it one the the top 3 most celebrated commercial holidays in the world. Now we have scary movies, Halloween parties, we dress up, and stuff our faces full of candy till we feel like we’re going to throw up!  Overall, Halloween is definitely a fan favorite on the holiday scale, and I think we can all agree on one thing: Halloween is pretty awesome!