Origins and Traditions of Halloween

Very few holidays are as controversial as Halloween. While some see Halloween as an excuse to play dress up, eat candy, and go to parties, others see the holiday as a dark and dangerous form of devil worshiping in disguise. Regardless of how people view the holiday, very few people are actually aware of Halloween’s history and original importance.

Halloween is a very old holiday that has gone by several names. Halloween evolved from Samhain, a Celtic holiday that was observed on the night of October 31st. Samhain celebrated the harvest and honored the deceased. The holiday was also associated with the end of the year; the Celtic year began on November 1st.

Our Halloween traditions of dressing up and roaming the streets asking for candy are thought to have begun with the actual Celtic traditions surrounding Samhain. During Samhain, spirits were believed to wander the realm of the living; gifts were left out to appease them, and this tradition is probably the origin of trick-or-treating. People also dressed up in costumes, possibly in an attempt to look like the spirits and therefore avoid being harmed by the spirits. During Samhain, large bonfires were lit; we still associate fire with Halloween by lighting candles in pumpkins.

During the 600’s AD, Pope Boniface IV made November 1st All Saints Day; later November 2nd was made All Souls Day. The eve of All Saints Day was also celebrated on October 31st. The fact that these holidays honor the saints, martyrs, and the dead and are celebrated during and immediately after Halloween is not a coincidence. Many pagan holidays were combined with Christian holidays in order to make the conversion from pagan religions to Christianity easier; the traditions of Easter and Christmas also have strong pagan foundations. Likewise, Halloween became a Christian holiday, but most of the pagan traditions survived and are still practiced, albeit in a somewhat altered form, today.

In modern times, Halloween can be interpreted in three different ways: a Celtic holiday about appeasing spirits, honoring the dead, and celebrating the harvest; a set of Christian holidays about honoring saints, martyrs, and the deceased; or a secular holiday about dressing up, having fun, and sometimes stirring up a little mischief. The later interpretation is the most popular, probably because it is the most enjoyable. Indeed, Halloween is not the only holiday that has been stripped of its original significance, and the celebration of holidays without actually knowing what is being celebrated has become a common trend.

There is one other interpretation of Halloween; some see Halloween as a satanic holiday. Halloween is a dark holiday, and it is easy to see why some people mistake it for a night of devil worshiping. After all, many people do dress up as the devil or other evil monsters. However, neither the origin of the holiday nor modern celebrations are concerned with devil-worshipping. In fact, Halloween predates the concept of Satan.

Although the meaning of Halloween is often misunderstood, the holiday remains extremely popular. Every year, people buy costumes, candy, and decorations; Americans spend more money on Halloween than on any other holiday except for Christmas.