All Hallows Eve

According to History.com, the fun and games of Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). November 1 marked the beginning of the New Year for the Celts, a period they associated with the desolation of winter and death. On October 31, the eve before the New Year, the Celts believed that the veil that separated the living and the dead was thinnest, allowing the dead to roam the earth. They believed that ghosts roaming the earth on this night allowed the Druids and Celtic priest to forecast the future. The Celts honored the event with large bonfires where they sacrificed crops and animals. Costumes of animals' heads and skins adorned all who attended the celebration.

Customs changed after the Roman invasion of Celtic territories in A.D. 43 with a meshing of two Roman festivals and the Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was the Roman holiday of Feralia, held in the later part of October to honor the passing of the dead. The second was the festival for Pomona the Goddess of fruit and trees. The "symbol for the Goddess Pomona is the apple," which is probably where the current "tradition of bobbing" for apples originated.

During the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV declared November 1 All Saints' Day, in honor of saints and martyrs. There is speculation that the church created these holidays to replace the practices of the pagans. The eve of October 31 morphed into All-hallows Eve, and finally Halloween. The church continued to instill changes and by A.D. 1000, November 2 became All Souls' Day to honor the dead. The celebration to honor the dead was similar to Samhain and included bonfires and costumes depicting "saints, angels, and devils." Hallowmas was the name given to all three celebrations, beginning with the eve of October 31, All Saints' and All Souls' Days.

As immigrants arrived in the United States, they continued to observe the customs and celebrations of their cultures, and Halloween became a community event for both children and adults. Much of the imagery associated with Halloween centers around the themes of death-ghosts; magic and mythical monsters with prominent colors of black and orange. The carved pumpkin for Halloween has roots in the Irish tradition of creating lanterns by using turnips or potatoes. The pumpkin, readily available in North America, made it easier to create larger jack-o-lanterns.

Two other traditions also date back to the early Celtic and European cultures. People wore masks or costumes for protection and left food outside the home to pacify ghosts. People feared the roaming dead and wore masks or costumes to hide their identities, and appear as other spirits. While trick-or-treating developed from the practice of placing food outside the homes to keep ghosts from entering.

Currently, Halloween is the "second largest commercial holiday" in America. Today's themes and symbols center on characters from horror films, along with the more traditional ghosts, witches, and superstitions. Instead of food, sweet confections are the treats of choice.

References:

"The History of Halloween." The History Channel.