subject: Essential Guide To The Origins Of Halloween [print this page] Halloween has become a highly popular time of year for children it means trick-or-treating to load up on sweets and for adults its a great excuse to throw a fun party.
Decorations for an event can be as simple as lighting candles and hanging some Chinese lanterns to spending time carving Jack 'O Lanterns and making a bonfire.
To get you in the mood for the festivities around the 31st of October, the following guide will explore some interesting facts about Halloween.
History & Origin
Halloween dates back to over 2000 years ago - it falls on the last day of the Celtic calendar and was originally a pagan holiday called Samhain (summers end) that was first celebrated by the ancient Druids of Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. It was a harvest festival with blazing sacred bonfires to mark the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of a new one.
On this night, it was believed that the souls of the dead are free to roam the earth and rituals were performed to honour and appease them, as well as to ensure the pagan gods gave their blessing for plentiful crops.
Later, with the rise of Christianity, it became known as All Hallows Eve because celebrations on the 31st October occur the evening before All Saints Day. Nevertheless, the occasion still holds strong pagan significance to this day.
Traditions & Customs of Halloween Explained
Its rather fascinating to find out what the eccentric customs that go part and parcel with Halloween actually mean:
Bonfires
Particularly in the Celtic culture of Northern Ireland, it was customary for Druids to perform ritualistic ceremonies and make sacrifices to their gods on Samhain. They would create a fire festival on a hilltop and often throw the bones of slaughtered cattle into the flames. The word "bonfire" is thus thought to be derived from these bone fires. The aim of the sacrifices was to appeal to the gods in order to guarantee that the sun would burn brightly after a long winter to make healthy crops. To this day, it's common to witness hundreds of bonfires in Ireland every Halloween night.
Costumes
The reason why ghoulish costumes are worn on Halloween is that originally the Celts would dress up in elaborate animal skins and heads to disguise themselves as spirits and demons so that the real ones wouldnt be able to see they were human and cause them harm. People would dance around the Samhain bonfires, tell stories and read fortunes to prepare for the new year.
Jack 'O Lanterns
Carving jack 'o lanterns is another custom that originates with the Celtic cultures. The storey goes that a miserable man named Jack tricked the Devil he was then unable to enter heaven or hell after his death, instead he was doomed to roam the earth endlessly. Jack decided to place a piece of coal into a carved-out turnip to use it as a lantern to ward off evil spirits. Thus it became common practise to place Jack 'O Lanterns outside doorways as protection, although people gradually started using pumpkins instead of turnips as they were easier to cut.
Trick or Treating
The tradition of trick or treating also evolved in Ireland many centuries ago. In preparation for the celebration of All Hollow's Eve, the poor would call upon the rich nobles to request money, gifts and food so they could make a huge feast.
Conclusion
From its roots as Samhain and All Hollow's Eve to its current incarnation as a fun celebration that in many countries is only second in popularity to Christmas, Halloween on the 31st of October is a brilliant time for parties. Whether you simply want to hang some Chinese Lanterns and light candles to set the mood, or go all out and decorate your home with jack 'o lanterns, giant paper spiders and fake blood, you will now be able to regale your guests with stories explaining where these traditions originated from.
