Halloween comes up every October 31st where there are vivacious parades happen and children dress up in elaborate costumes at night, knocking on doors for candies and treats. Children ecstatically dressed up as zombies, werewolves, witches, and fairies run around the whole block for delectables saying “Trick or Treat!” and daring one another to enter the haunted houses. Halloween has evolved into a festive holiday of decorations, pumpkins, parties, snacks, and costumes but have we really thought of how this holiday originated?
It is well known that 2,000 years ago the ancient Celtic people celebrated Samhain on November 1st where they would incite fires. On October 31st, the day before Samhain, the people would dress up as ghosts when they leave the house in fear that the roaming ghost spirits of the dead would attack them unless they looked like one of them. These people would also leave food on their doorsteps to satisfy the ghosts.
The Samhain holiday appeared to have evolved in the 8th century as All Saints’ Day where Pope Gregory III decided to honor the saints of the time. The evening before this holiday that included traditions of Samhain and eventually became All Hallow’s Eve, which was later shortened to the shorter name Halloween.
Trick or treating, the most popular tradition of the holiday, comes from the old traditions of Britain called souling and guising. In the practice of souling, poor people would walk around the community giving prayers for the people of the dead in a desperate exchange for soul cakes. Guising was when children would dress up in costumes and ask for food and money in exchange for telling jokes, reciting poetry, and singing for people. Now, these old traditions have combined into the modern tradition of trick or treating.
Now, Halloween holds its roots in America as undoubtedly one of the biggest holidays where Americans spend billions of dollars purchasing candies, costumes, decorations and Jack -o- Lanterns. Halloween started off as a serious and ominous tradition designed to ward off potential ghosts but evolved into an enjoyable and friendly event where people socialize together and celebrate.