This one: Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31. Halloween is known for costumes, pumpkins, trick-or-
treat, black cats, witches, ghosts and other spooky traditions.
Although the traditions of Halloween are well-known, its origins are
not. Halloween as we know it today originates from both Celtic
and Christian traditions. The origin of the holiday dates back
2,000 years ago with the Celtic’s ancient festival called Samhain,
which was celebrated on October 31 and marked the end of
summer and the coming of winter. This festival was celebrated the
night before their new year, November 1. According to Celtic
mythology, the night before the new year the veil between the
worlds of the living and dead was blurred, making it easier for
spirits to pass through. The Celtics dressed in costumes of animal skins, had a bonfire and
burned crops as sacrifices to their gods in order to keep the evil spirts away.
Halloween is also rooted in Christian tradition. In 690 A. D. Pope Boniface IV dedicated
the Pantheon to honor Christian martyrs. This created the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day.
Years later Pope Gregory III would change the feast to All Saints Day to honor all of
the saints. This feast is celebrated on November 1, the same day as the ancient
Celtic new year. In 1000 A. D. the church would make November 2 All
Soul’s Day as a day to honor the dead. This day was very similar to the
Cetltic festival of Samhain, with costumes of saints and angels,
bonfires, and honoring the dead. The Christian connection to
Halloween has a lot to do with its name. The name “Halloween” stems
from the nickname for the day before All Saints Day: All Hallows Eve.
“Hallow” means holy person, in reference to the saints. The “een” in
Halloween is a contraction for “eve.” All Hallows Eve eventually was
shortened into Halloween and was popularized by a poem by Robert Burns called “Halloween.”
Over the years, Halloween has morphed into a secular holiday with the distinct traditions
we all know and love today. Probably most notable is the jack-o-lantern, which has its own
history. The tradition of pumpkin carving comes from an old Irish legend of Jack, a man who
tricked the devil and got him stuck in a tree. According to the legend, Jack let the devil go but
the devil promised he would never allow Jack’s soul to enter hell. When Jack died and was
denied entry into heaven, the devil kept his promise and denied Jack entry into hell. When Jack
asked how he was supposed to leave, the devil threw him a flaming ember to help him see his
way out. Because it was his favorite food, Jack always had a turnip with him. He hallowed out
the turnip and placed the ember inside, lighting his out throughout the world looking for a final
resting place with his “jack-o-lantern.” On All Hallows Eve, the Irish would hallow out turnips,
beets, and gourds to ward off evil spirits and keep Jack away. When the Irish immigrated to
America, they started to use pumpkins instead as they were much larger.