Faith Crippen
It is often the case that modern holidays tend to stray from their origins. What exactly comes to your mind when I say "Halloween?" Trick-or-treating, costumes, or pumpkin-carving, maybe. Perhaps you think of haunted houses and apple-bobbing. Though these activities are all enjoyable, Halloween hasn’t always been such a sugar-coated holiday. Most of us view Halloween as an excuse to eat candy and dress up with friends, but that definitely isn’t how everything started! The history of Halloween is fascinating, especially considering just how much it differentiates from our modern celebrations.
Halloween’s origin dates back to around 2,000 years ago with the Celts, who believed that on October 31st, the "line" separating the spiritual and physical realms became hazy and distorted. This "blur" supposedly allowed for the ghosts of the dead to re-enter the mortal realm and to roam as they pleased; this celebration of sorts was called Samhain. The Celts specifically believed this "mixture" of domains occurred on October 31st because of the structure of their calendar. November 1st was the Celts’ new year, meaning October 31st was their New Year’s Eve. It was a cold, melancholy time of year, which are attributes commonly associated with the dead.
The ghosts who passed between the realms were believed to not only harm crops with their presence, but also allow for priests to see into the future clearer, or “prophesize.” The Celts depended on these prophecies for hope in the dreary winter. To celebrate, the Celts dressed up in costumes made of animal hides – hence, our tradition of costumes. They set up a large bonfire and burned crops as well as animals. It was also a tradition to leave food and candles on the doorstep to aid the spirits of their lost relatives or friends. Halloween's origins don't end with the Celts, though.
Eventually, the Roman Empire overtook Celtic territory and shaped their version of Samhain. The Romans' celebration consisted of two separate days. On the first day, called Feralia, Romans honored the dead. On the second day, they honored the goddess "Pomona." Pomona was represented by an apple, which is believed to be the origin of our tradition of apple-bobbing.
Christianity became popular in the Celtic region, and took a turn shaping Halloween, this time calling it “All Soul’s Day,” also known as “All Hallows!” The night before was called “All Hallows Eve,” which later morphed into the name “Halloween.” This form of Halloween centered around the church but still shared a very similar celebration to that of Samhain, in the sense that there were parades, bonfires, and costumes. Rather than animal skins, the costumes on All Soul’s Day consisted primarily of devils and angels.
Finally, the celebration of Halloween made its way to America. The traditions were similar to previous ones but on a smaller scale. Friends would share ghost stories, and neighborhoods would hold festivals, but everything was seemingly local. What we now know as "trick-or-treating" began as a way for "…Americans…to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money.” (History.com Editors, 2009) The holiday slowly became less centered around spirits and ghouls and turned more innocent and lighthearted. As time went on, Halloween became more and more popular throughout America, and there were countless parades and celebrations.
Irish immigrants soon moved to America, taking with them the tale of the Jack O’Lantern. The myth focused on a man named Stingy Jack, who invited the Devil over to have a drink. “True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks.” But that isn’t where it ends; Jack decided that instead of using the coin to pay for the drinks, he stuffed it in his pocket right next to a cross, hence, trapping the Devil there. He finally agreed to let the Devil go, under the circumstance that he left Jack alone for one year. After the year had passed, Jack – once again – decided to play some tricks on the Devil. He convinced the Devil to climb a tree, but "while he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.” (History.com Editors, 2009)
Not long after the event, Jack died. God, however, refused to accept such a troublesome soul into heaven. The Devil, keeping his word, could not take Jack to hell either. And so, Jack’s spirit was sent out to roam the Earth for eternity, given nothing but a lump of coal. He carved out a turnip and placed the ember into it, using it as a sort of a lantern to light his way. "The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." Because turnips were not native to America, the Irish used pumpkins instead and carved scary faces into them, meant to frighten evil spirits like Stingy Jack.
Halloween has changed a tremendous amount over time. We’ve gone from Celts warding off evil spirits and making readings about the future around a bonfire, to apple-bobbing and playing bean bag toss at a block party! The next time you’re carving a pumpkin, remember Stingy Jack and his turnip lamp! Or the next time you’re at a Halloween parade, think back to All Soul’s Day, filled with angels, devils, and priests!
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