Halloween Origins and Traditions

Halloween Origins

• Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) celebrated on October 31st.
• Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the UK and northern France, marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of their new year.
• They believed on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred.
• Celts celebrated Samhain to honor the dead, avoid bad luck, and gain insight into the future from the powerful spirits.
• They built bonfires as sacrifices to their deities, wore animal costumes and attempted to tell each other's fortunes.

Halloween and the Catholic Church

• In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III established November 1st as a time to honor all saints, called All Saints Day.
• This later incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.
• The evening before All Saints Day was called All Hallows Eve and later shortened to Halloween.

Halloween in America

• Colonial New England had limited Halloween celebrations due to Protestant beliefs, but Maryland and southern colonies embraced the holiday.
• Immigrants from Europe and interaction with Native Americans shaped a distinct American version of Halloween.
• American Halloween included "play parties" where people shared ghost stories, told fortunes, danced and sang.
• By the mid-19th century, Halloween celebrations became more common but were not celebrated everywhere.
• In the late 19th century, immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and Germany brought their traditions, including trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, and wearing costumes.