Emily Chan
As the leaves start to turn and that brisk autumn wind chills the air, it’s time to dive into Halloween. Of course, when you think about Halloween, you’re probably picturing haunted houses, horror movies, pumpkin carving, and kids dressed up in costumes eagerly going trick-or-treating.
All festivities aside, you might be wondering when the tradition of trick-or-treating even began. What exactly is the origin of Halloween? Why is it celebrated every October 31?
The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain is the earliest known root of our current Halloween traditions today. The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1 but kicked off their festivities the night before.
It was thought to be a time when the boundary between the living world and the world of the dead grew thin, allowing humans to be able to connect with the dead. That’s where the concept of ghosts and haunting come in.
Their celebrations consisted of sacrificing crops and animals in a giant sacred bonfire to the Celtic gods. They also dressed up in costumes made of animal hides.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory the Third created All Saints Day and chose the date November 1 to observe it. All Saints Day had a lot of similarities to the Samhain festival.
It was also called All-Hallows Day, and the night before was All-Hallows Eve, thus leading to the shortened name of Halloween.
When Halloween arrived in America, it was not yet widely celebrated. The first Halloween celebrations in America included sharing stories of the dead or ghost stories, as well as playing pranks.
By the late 19th century, as Irish immigrants fled to America, the new influx of people helped solidify Halloween as a nationally celebrated event.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
