I must admit that fall and the months leading up to Christmas are some of my favorite times of years, not only because of the cooler weather and breezy autumn days but because of all the celebrations. Fall is a time to reflect on how our world is constantly changing. It should then be of no surprise that Halloween is my favorite holiday. But, where exactly did Halloween come from? How did it start and why is it so important for our culture today?
Halloween was once an ancient Celtic holiday named Samhain which marked the end of summer and the Celtic year. It was a celebration of the harvest and the changing seasons. Eventually, Samhain underwent a great transformation as Christian Europe came in with a means to convert the local people. The holiday resisted and therefore the church adapted and through the ages, it slowly grew to the celebration we have today. While many consider it the devil’s holiday, for the most part, there is no religious significance with Halloween in mainstream culture. For some small groups, this celebration is a night of reflection with very powerful rituals tracing back to their ancient Celtic roots while for others it is a night of fun and fright.
Ancient Origins
Halloween, or Samhain, was originally a celebration dating back to the ancient Celtic people of northern Europe. This celebration is over three thousand years old and began not as a night of costume parades and haunted houses but began as the marker of the Celtic new year.
Samhain marked the end of the summer months and the beginning of the darker, cooler half of the year. Winter was approaching and for the Celts, their very survival was at stake. It was a celebration of the year’s harvest. It was a gathering of all the fruits and bounty of the earth. This harvest was essential because if it was not bountiful with enough food to store then the following months could mean death for many.
Throughout Europe, there were many celebrations of a similar nature. However, Samhain is the most recognized. Druid priests would pray, calling upon the spirits for a blessed harvest. These Celtic Priest would predict the future, honor the gods in sacrifice and gather the community around the bonfire. Because of its connection to the harvest, Samhain became a symbol of life and death. In this holiday, people would remember those that were lost in the past year and call upon their names.
Samhain’s date is in a time of year where the nights, in the northern hemisphere become longer than the days. For the Celts, they believed that during this time, the veil between the world of spirits, including the ancestors they prayed to, and the world of the living grew thin. The veil between worlds was so thin that many believed that wicked ghouls, kind ancestors, or free-roaming spirits could cross the threshold between worlds much easier than before.
Scared of the wicked creatures in the night, some would lay out milk and treats outside their doors to prevent the unwanted spirits from coming in. Others would hideaway in masks and guises in an attempt to either be seen as a spirit or to be ignored by the spirits roaming the world. These customs could be one of the origins of costumes along with trick or treating on modern Halloween. Another possibility is the use of animal heads and masks during the bonfire celebrations.
In the southern part of Europe, in the Roman Empire, there was a similar celebration. Deities such as Proserpina and Ceres were honored. Ceres would give the earth a bountiful harvest because of her daughter’s transition into the underworld. However, out of all the roman deities, none were more celebrated than the very incarnation of fruits and harvest, Pomona. She was one of many agricultural deities, however, she was mostly regarded as the goddess of apples and gardens, lover of Silvanus, and the wood nymph of fruitful abundance. Though there is little evidence to prove its existence, the festival of Pomona is said to have been celebrated by the Romans during the late days of October and early November. It was a festival of apples and nuts in her honor.
The ancient world was a world where humans tried to live in peace and balance with nature. Their deities are usually associated with aspects of the natural world. Druids drew their power from the earth and the herbal healing of life. Worshippers honored nature with sacrifice and promise. Ancient men and women had with them very different mentalities of how the world worked and it was not until Christianity came that many of these traditions were, for the most part, lost, forgotten or transformed.
Christian influence
Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. After the fall of Rome and the reorganization of the once proud Roman Empire, missionaries were sent to all corners of the pagan world.
However, spreading Christianity was easier said than done. For many, Christianity was not appealing especially not over their cultural traditions and the very beliefs of their families stretching back generations. Conversion came slowly until the Christian church realized that cutting down a tree, tearing apart a grove, burning away idols, and forcing a new religion on the people was not the way to get them to go to church. Adapting and adopting certain pieces, celebrations, and traditions into their teachings or as a part of this faith allowed for a much easier transition into Christian beliefs. Many cultural traditions were baptized, given a Christian definition, a history and connected to the church. Ancient traditions and practices were fused.
The once pagan ritual, Samhain, was turned into the day for the church to celebrate all the saints in Christianity that did not already have an individual day. It was called All Hallow’s day, a day for the prayer of all saints. This day was celebrated on November 1. For the locals, however, many of their ancient festivities persisted and were therefore celebrated on the eve of all hallows day. All Hallow’s eve eventually became the word we use today, Halloween.
On all Hallow’s eve, all ancestors were being remembered and many pagan traditions continued. In response to this, the Christian church turned November the 2nd into a day to celebrate and pray for all those who were lost in the past year. It was named All Soul’s Day and eventually became known as The Day of the Dead. However, the creation of all soul’s day did not deter the people from celebrating Halloween which was favored amongst most of the population.
The more “pagan” traditions of All Hallows Eve greatly concerned the Christian church. From the summoning of evil creatures or demonic beings into this world to witchcraft. Witches, or The Wise Ones, were some of the great alarm for the church. It was believed that they, typically women, took on the powers of nature and became connected to the darker forces of the supernatural world. Animals like black cats, owls, rats, toads, and bats, were commonly associated with witchcraft. Witchcraft itself took on its lore and stories which frightened even the common people. witch-hunting became common practice in medieval Europe.
A Modern Look
Though some religious groups did not approve of the traditions that form a part of Halloween, the holiday eventually thrived in America. The world was growing smaller and many traditions began to grow and transform once again. Irish immigrants and other Europeans brought their customs and celebrations and so American Halloween was born.
Witchcraft was still seen as a threat, but many Halloween traditions thrived such as bobbing for apples, divination and the sharing of ghost stories. Pumpkin carving had the best transition of all. Originally in Europe, the story of Jack O’ Lantern inspired the carving and lighting of turnips inspired by the wanderer’s light. However, it was not until the American pumpkin, which was revealed to be much more malleable than the rough turnip, that Jack’s light shined all over the states.
Halloween has been a tradition for adult dinner parties, then as a holiday for children as the world continued to change. It was a distraction during the time of war until it grew too big and began to become a night of terror once again. For many, Halloween became an excuse for arson, vandalism, and death. Eventually, these darker sides of Halloween were somewhat subdued, and the celebration became a mostly family affair. Since then, Halloween has become a holiday for adults and children alike.
Pop culture has become a hub of Halloween exploration. Movies like the horror Halloween along with other scary films and the feel-good stories like Hocus Pocus became mainstream. From the creepy and evil of ghost stories meant to terrify their audience, to the family-friendly celebrations in Halloween centric episodes of sitcoms. Halloween has become a celebration of the spooky and frightful. It is a time of witches and the supernatural, where people can dress up and be someone else for a night, where everyone gets together and enjoys their own personal Halloween fun. Haunted houses, fall festivals and tons of candy, Halloween has become one of the top-selling holidays second only to Christmas. While there are still worshippers of the ancient Samhain tradition, Halloween has taken on a life of its own in mainstream media.
Conclusion
It has been called the Devil’s Holiday, Hallows Eve, the night of darkness and witches, but for many, Halloween is a time to celebrate and allow the imagination to go wild. From our favorite witches to visiting the Disney movie Halloween Town. It is a holiday dating back thousands of years to our pagan roots. It all began with harvest and the fear of the coming winter. In it we see ourselves as Sabrina and her spells, in the world of Jack Skullington The Nightmare Before Christmas while seeing Micky Mouse dress up for the holiday, Halloween is here to stay.
Myths Reborn 