The word 'Halloween' comes from 'All Hallow's Eve/All Hallow's Evening', which originates from an Old English term Eallra Halgena aefen which means 'the Eve of All Saints' Day', which is on November 1st. All Saints' Day and Halloween used to be celebrated on the same day, but now they are on two different days.
Samhain
The Holiday is also knows as 'Samhain' (pronounced "Sah-wen"), a holiday that was first celebrated by a tribe known as the Celtics who lived thousands of years ago in what is now known as England, northern France, and Ireland. They worshiped Samhain -- God of the death.
Samhain means 'Summer's end', the Celtics believed that the 31th of October was the end of the year, so they threw a New Years Eve party: Samhain, to celebrate the end of the harvest season, and the beginning of the cold winter.
Dressing Up
The Celtics believed that on Halloween witches and ghosts were able to enter our world because the curtain between the living and the death became very thin, and because they thought spirits were able to come back and visit with living relatives, they were afraid that evil spirits would possess them. Maybe because people who were said to be possessed could up on the 'bonfire'. They didn't want to end up on a bonfire during a New Year Eve's party.
To banish harmful spirits the Celtics were wearing costumes and masks. And the scarier you disguised yourself, the more the evil spirit would want to leave you alone or think you were an evil spirit too. The Celtics would also noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. But the spirits of your friends and families were welcomed.
Jack-O-Lantern
To honor the people they have lost during the year, the Celtics used to place candles in their windows during Samhain/Halloween, they would also carve pumpkins or turnips (mainly turnips) which is believed to lead back to the tale of Stingy Jack.
The tale goes that a man named Jack was supposed to be unable to enter heaven because of his behavior and unable to enter hell because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, the devil demanded him to wander over the earth with his lantern until judgment day.
The Celtics were so afraid that the same would happen to them, that they began to hollow out pumpkins or turnips and place candles inside to scare away evil spirits from their home.
Food
The Celtics built huge fires to frighten the witches away, and to keep evil spirits away. Lanterns were set out in order to welcome the ghosts and spirits. Another thing they did to honor ghosts was putting out food and drinks for the dead and left windows, doors, and gates unlocked to welcome ghosts into their homes, and left “treats” on the front porch for the spirits and ghosts, this is said to make them happy and they would not hurt you -- I doubt it kept thieves away...
Trick or Treating
Groups of villagers and Irish Farmers would go from house to house begging for food to be used at the village Halloween celebration. Those who gave a lot were promised a good year, those who gave not so much or not at all were threatened and cursed: "You treat me, or else I will trick you!"
With the spreading of Christianity, November 1st of every year, is celebrated as "All Saint's Day". The eve of November 1st, is known as "All Hakkiwe'en" or "Halloween".
Halloween TodayThe arrival of the Irish immigrants brought Halloween to America in 1840.
The Irish had always used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns, but when the immigrants came to America, they realized that pumpkins were far more better than their turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America turned out to be hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
The history of Halloween has grown and is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to the big influence of American culture in recent years, Halloween made it's way to Europe.
On these days Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate Halloween. Parties food of the season and who ever has the best outfit.
Superstition
Halloween always have been about magic, superstition, and mystery, but there are many traditions we have forgotten about. Many traditions had to do with helping women and finding their future husband, those rituals were often about the future and the living, instead of the past and death.
For example, in 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook would bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the person who found it.
In Scotland, fortune-tellers would tell single young women to name a hazelnut for each of the man she had a crush on and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes instead of popping or exploding, represented the girl's future husband: Long lasting love.
Another superstitious-tale goes that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night she would dream about her future husband.
Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials.
Women tried to learn about their futures by staring at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces.
Fun Halloween Facts
- The colors associated with Halloween are orange and black. Black is the color of darkness and death, while orange is the color of "fall harvest".
- The immigrants from Europe brought Halloween to North America. It is celebrated around a bonfire. Dancing and singing, sharing ghost stories are part of this celebration.
- The second commercially successful holiday, in the United States, is Halloween. At this time, the sales of Halloween candy touches around two billion dollars annually.
- It is believed, if you happen to see a spider on Halloween day, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.
- In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, Halloween is often referred to as Beggars Night because of the Trick-or-treating.
