What is the History of Halloween?

Halloween is a holiday of costumes, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, haunted houses and trick-or-treating. What exactly is the history of Halloween? Where did these strange traditions originate?

The history of Halloween can be traced back 2,000 years. It was during these ancient times in Europe that the Celts celebrated the beginning of winter on the evening of October 31st. November 1st was the first day of their new year and it also marked the first day of winter. They believed that death was strongly linked to the long and bitter winter. The Celts thought that during the winter the dead and the living existed simultaneously because it was on this day that the dead roamed the earth. Samhain was the name they gave to their celebration of the dead on the evening of October 31st.

However, when Christians began to gain authority in the 800s, the history of Halloween was forever changed; November 1st became known as All Saints Day or All-Hallows. It is believed that the Christians slightly altered the holiday into a church related celebration, honoring deceased saints. Not unlike Celtic tradition though, the Christians too honored the dead on this day. The evening of October 31st soon became known as All-Hallows Eve and was eventually changed to Halloween.

Today in America it is traditional to celebrate the holiday by throwing a party in which the guests dress in costume. At these parties people participate in games, play Halloween themed songs and decorate their homes, especially windows and doors with pictures of ghost and witches. Halloween themed music with spooky sounds helps to set an eerie mood. At these parties games such as bobbing for apples are played and spooky ghost stories might be shared. Bobbing for apples is a game in which the goal is to obtain an apple from a large bin of apples in water; however one could only use their mouth in order to acquire the apple. This game is related to the celebration of the harvest, a Celtic tradition.

Today's association of ghosts with the holiday is not far off from the traditions of Samhain or All-Hallows Eve belief. The ancient festivals honoring the dead revolved around the belief in ghosts mingling with the living. Therefore it is appropriate that ghosts are so often linked to contemporary celebrations.

However, the tradition of trick-or-treating and costumes are a little less tied to the history of Halloween. Door to door trick-or-treating began in America however, it was most likely taken from festival parades in Europe. During these parades poor citizens would beg for food. Modern day trick-or-treating is most commonly practiced by children who walk door to door asking for candy. They customarily say "trick or treat" in anticipation that they will be given a treat which is most likely candy.

Today, dressing in costume is also a very popular way to celebrate the spooky holiday. Dressing up in costumes relates to the Celtic tradition of wearing masks on All-Hallows Eve. People would disguise themselves so that they would be unrecognizable to ghosts. Today dressing in costume is very popular and ranges from ghost and witch costumes to trendy costumes such as famous characters.