Halloween Traditions and History

A celebration of superstition that is marked each year on October 31, Halloween is one of the world's oldest holidays and is considered by many to be the one day when spirits of the dead can return to earth. Although the holiday we celebrate in the new millennium has all but lost its religious connotations, the current secular celebrations are deeply rooted in a blend of ancient Catholic and Roman rituals, Celtic practices and European folk traditions that have created the modern-day holiday centered around costumes and candy.

The different types of Halloween traditions undertaken around the globe are wide and varied, depending greatly on the particular country and the religious beliefs of its people. The origins of this peculiar celebration can be traced back more than 2,000 years to an ancient Celtic festival called "Samhain," which marked the end of the light summer days and harvest season and the beginning of the new year and a dark, cold winter associated with human death. Fearing the return of spirits to the earth on the night before the November 1 new year, the Celts donned costumes and masks to avoid being recognized by the dead, hoping they would instead be mistaken for a fellow ghost. For deceased friends and relatives, the Celts set places at the table and left offerings of treats on the doorsteps. Candles were also lit in an effort to guide loved ones back home to the spirit world.

The traditions and history of Halloween continued into the year A.D. 43, when the vast majority of Celtic territory - which is now the United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France - was conquered by the Romans. During their rule of Celtic lands, the Romans combined two of their own festivals - "Feralia," which commemorated the passing of the dead, and "Pomona Day," which honored the Roman goddess of fruit, trees and gardens - with practices of Celtic origin to begin new traditions of the holiday. Because the symbol of Pomona is that of an apple, it is widely believed that the modern-day tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween dates back to the ancient festivals celebrated by the Romans.

Following the spread of Christianity into Celtic lands by the seventh century, November 1 was designated by Pope Boniface IV as "All Saints' Day" and the night before - October 31 - as "All Hallows' Eve," a time in which all saints and martyrs were to be honored. Celebrated with similar traditions to those in the Celtic celebration of Samhain, All Hallows' Eve was characterized by parades and bonfires, and people dressing up in costumes of angels, devils and saints. By A.D. 1000, November 2 had been deemed "All Souls' Day" to honor those who had passed, and the three days were together known as "Hallowmas."

Years later, as immigrants ventured from Europe to the shores of the New World, they brought with them the many traditions and history of Halloween as we now know it. A melting pot of practices was created to commemorate the October 31 holiday as a myriad of customs, beliefs and traditions of various ethnic groups, as well as those of Native Americans, were combined. Although rigid Protestant beliefs hindered the continuation of many Halloween traditions in New England, residents of the southern colonies gathered to celebrate harvest times by sharing stories of the dead, telling fortunes, and singing and dancing with their neighbors.

By the 1800s, American saw a near-exponential increase in immigrants from European countries, particularly those fleeing from Ireland's potato famine of 1846. Combining both Irish and English traditions, American colonists dressed in costumes to travel door-to-door asking neighbors for food or money. These practices eventually evolved into what modern-day Americans know as "trick or treat." At the turn of the century, moves were made to transform a holiday revolving around spirits, ghost stories, pranks, mischief and witchcraft into a community-centered secular celebration dedicated to the fun, food and festivities we enjoy on Halloween today.