BY KAROLINA DOMBAXI, STAFF WRITER
The history of Halloween is a long and lengthy one. Oct. 31 is a day when adults and kids alike can dress up in costumes. Kids go trick-or-treating and receive candy, there’s costume parties and people decorate their houses. A lot of stores sell costumes, Halloween decorations and candy. It is also the one time a year that Spirit Halloween usually opens for the season. Spirit Halloween is a chain Halloween store that opens in late August and stays open until the beginning days of November.
But where did Halloween come from?
It started as Samhain before being called All Soul’s Day and what’s now known as Halloween.
For some it used to be viewed as a pagan holiday. There is a common misconception that Samhain has satanic origins but that is not true.
Halloween can trace its roots back to the ancient Celts. They lived in an area of Europe that is now Ireland, Scotland, the United Kingdom and the northern part of France. They celebrated the festival known as Samhain. For the Celts their new year was celebrated on Nov.1. Oct. 31 marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter when lots of people tended to die. They believed that on that day the lines between the world of living and the dead became blurred. People built sacred bonfires and burned crops. They used animals as sacrifices to celtic deities. They also wore animal heads and skins as costumes. Samhain is still celebrated today by some people that live in Europe.
After a couple centuries the Roman Empire expanded into the Western parts of Europe. The Romans combined Samhain with a holiday of their own, Feralia. It was a day to commemorate the passing of the dead and the day after was to honor Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. The Catholic Church began calling Nov. 1, All Souls’ Day, which is also known as All Saints’ Day. Since people viewed Samhain as more of a pagan holiday, calling it All Souls’ Day changed it to something more church appropriate. The day before All Souls’ Day became referred to as All Hallow’s Eve which is now called Halloween.
Halloween came to America after people settled in the colonies. In colonial days Americans were not too fond of Halloween due to their strict religious beliefs. But it varied for each colony and what belief system they had. However, during the 19th century, Irish immigrants started coming to America which helped to make the holiday more popular.
Between the 1920s and1950s trick-or-treating started to become popular. It was a holiday that people felt was more directed for kids and that it was something fun to do for the family. But trick-or-treating could also trace its roots back to England. Poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them “soul cakes” on All Souls’ Day. It was eventually overtaken by kids. Other things associated with Halloween include movies, ghosts, black cats and witches.
Aside from Ireland and England there are several other countries around the world that celebrate Halloween differently. China does not celebrate Halloween the same way the United States does but something equivalent to it is called Hungry Ghost Festival. More and more people in Japan are celebrating Halloween because it is a very intense cosplay country. The most famous celebration is of course Mexico’s Dios de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
