Sure, Halloween is fun what with all the costumes and candy, but where did it come from? Most people think the history of Halloween originated with the Catholic church and the souls of the dearly departed. Actually, Halloween is older than the church, though the dearly departed were always a part of the… ahem, festivities.
About 3,000 years ago, the Celtic people in what is now England, Ireland, and northern France celebrated the passing of the agricultural year, Samhain (Summer’s End), on the last day of October. They believed that the veil between the earthly world and the spiritual world was drawn aside during that night so that spirits – both good and bad – could freely roam between the two dimensions. The Celts believed that loved ones that had passed on could come back to visit their families one last time in the form of a black cat. Costumes were worn to scare away the evil spirits that might attempt to come cause trouble.
When the Catholic church came to the area with the Roman invasion, the priests attempted to integrate the celebratory schedule of the pagans to make them more interested in converting. Naming November 1 as All Hallow’s Day and marking it as a day of praying for the departed, the church was able to “convert” the holiday. Today’s term, Halloween, is a contraction of the name for the night before, All Hallow’s E’en (Even).
It’s certainly not comprehensive, but it should be enough to distract the kids while they get their costumes on or until they get to the first house to shout, “Trick or Treat!” Want more details? Here’s a video from the History Channel that will be a treat.
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