Celebrated on October 31, Halloween has grown from ancient customs combining parts of pagan rites, Christian celebrations, and folk customs by means of many cultural activities.
1. Samhain's Ancient Celtic Festival
Halloween's roots are in the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), which signaled the end of the harvest season and the start of winter two millennia ago. Living in what is now Ireland, the UK, and northern France, the Celts thought that on October 31 the line separating the living from the dead blurring. They would burn bonfires and dress in garb to fight off evil spirits as they thought ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
2. Roman Influences
Two Roman celebrations merged with Samhain after the Roman Empire captured Celtic lands in 43 AD. The first was Feralia, a day to remember the dead; the second festival of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits and trees, would help to explain the contemporary custom of bobbing for apples.
3. Christianization and Halloween's Eve
By the ninth century, Christianity had permeated Celtic territory and the Church aimed to substitute Christian festivities for pagan celebrations. November 1 was set aside in 1000 AD as All Saints' Day, a celebration of martyrs and saints. Originally called All Hallows' Eve, the evening before evolved became Halloween. Following this was All Souls' Day on November 2, a day to honor the dead—especially loved ones.
4. Medieval and Early Modern Customs
Halloween evolved in mediaeval Europe as a "souling," in which the impoverished would travel door-to- door praying for the dead in return for food. Later , this custom developed into trick-or-treating. Halloween costumes originated from people in Scotland and Ireland dressing in costumes, emulating the ghosts they dreaded.
5. Halloween observed in America
When European immigrants—especially from Ireland—introduced their Halloween practices to America in the 19th century, they combined with other cultural traditions. Early in the 20th century, Halloween become increasingly secular, stressing communal events, celebrations, and games.
6. Halloween Today, Modern-Day
Halloween nowadays is a popular event marked by trick-or-treating, costume parties, haunted homes, and jack-o'-lanterns—which sprang from an Irish mythology concerning a guy named Stingy Jack. It has also been commercialized, with an eye on decorations and candy especially.
Though the Halloween of today is mostly about fun and celebrations, its roots are firmly in old ideas about death, ghosts, and the change between seasons.
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