The Real History Behind Halloween

"The Real History Behind Halloween", October 30 2008

Halloween is most likely my favourite holiday. I’m not even really sure why: I don’t like dressing up. As Cady Heron says in Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it”. She’s absolutely right, as my years on campus have unfortunately fallen witness to several instances of the too of small costume + too much girl equation. But like most holidays we celebrate today, Halloween has a historical past; one that goes back about 2000 years, to the Celtic festival of Samhain.

The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st; a day that celebrated the end of nice weather and the close to the harvest, and the upcoming winter months. It was believed that during the night before the new year the boundary separating the worlds of the living and dead became thin. So on October 31st, it was thought that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth, and would cause trouble and damage crops. The Celtic priests, called Druids were also thought to have greater access to future predictions, which was very important to Celtic beliefs. The Druids would build huge bonfires, where people would sacrifice crops and animals to their deities. The Celts would wear costumes during the celebration made out of animal skins and heads.

However by AD 43 the Romans had conquered most of the Celtic territory, and over a span of four hundred years Samhain merged with Feralia and Pomona, two Roman festivals. Feralia commenced in late October, and was a day that commemorated the passing of the dead. The festival of Pomona, named after the Roman goddess of the same name, honoured the goddess’s connection to fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, and the practice of bobbing for apples likely comes from this event.

During the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints Day on November 1st, which was a time to honour saints and martyrs of the church. It is believed that the pope was trying to replace the Celtic festival with one deemed as acceptable by the church. The night before this festival, October 31st, started to be called All-Hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. Later, in 1000 AD the church designated November 2nd as All Souls’ Day; a day to honour the dead similar to Samhain with bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes like angels, saints, or devils. The three consecutive days (All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’, and All Souls’ Day) was called Hallowmas.

As colonization occurred, the traditions were brought to North America, but varied greatly. In some communities all that was focused on was the harvest, due to rigid religious belief systems. When the mass-migration of people from Europe to North America started in the mid-nineteenth century, Halloween became more like what we recognize today. Coming from British traditions, people would go door-to-door asking for food and/or money; which we recognize today as trick-or-treating. During the late 1800’s until the start of the 20th century, Halloween had a community focus, with people celebrating the foods of the season and festive costumes. As time passed, the holiday became more and more recognizable to what it is today.

It is important to note that Samhain is still a very important occasion that is still celebrated today. It is the most important of the eight sabbats celebrated by Wiccans. It is a day where Wiccans celebrate death and the dead, as well as paying respect to ancestors, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died. Although the Wiccan sabbat is influenced by the Celtic holiday, it is not to be considered the same thing.

As Halloween is almost here (YAY!), please take into consideration how the holiday came to be in the present. There are also slightly varying celebrations for Halloween to this date in other parts of the world; notably, El Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico, Spain, and Latin America, as well as Guy Fawkes’ day in England.

Also, if you’re female PLEASE make sure you are wearing costumes appropriate for your body type. Thank you.