JACKSON, Wyo. — While there is much debate around the origins of Halloween in the United States, many historians agree that the holiday is an amalgamation of European cultural traditions.
Approximately 2,000 years ago, the Celts of Ireland held a festival celebrating the end of harvest and the start of the new year, according to the Library of Congress. This celebration, called the Samhain Festival, lasted from dawn on Oct. 31 until sunrise on Nov. 1. The Gaelic word “SAH-win” means “summer’s end” and refers to the month of November, which marked the transition from bountiful and warm summer to the cold and dark winter.
During Samhain, it was believed that souls of the dead emerged from the shadows and were free to roam the earth. It was thought that the veil between the living and dead grew thin and that evil spirits could seek revenge on those who wronged them. People lit bonfires and wore costumes made of animal heads and skins to protect themselves, according to Wake Forest University Press. They left their front door open and a meal on the table for kind family spirits.
According to Historic UK, the tradition of ‘guising’ or disguising in a mask to fool malicious spirits, began in Scotland during the 16th Century. Disguised children would arrive at a house and receive an offering to ward off evil spirits. The children performed a song, dance or a poem and in return received food or a gift. To further protect themselves, Scottish people made turnip lanterns by scooping out the turnip, cutting out a face and placing a candle inside.
In the Middle Ages, Christianity began to spread throughout Europe and a newer saintly holiday replaced pagan traditions. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s Rome to honor all saints and Nov. 1 became All Saints Day, according to New York Public Library. All Hallows Eve, or Oct. 31, was a day when Christians remembered and honored the dead. On this day, people went door-to-door begging for food to feed the poor.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish Christian missionaries and immigrants came to the United States, bringing their European traditions with them. Halloween signified rebellion against authority and the eve of Halloween or Mischief Night, was a night for tricks, pranks and treachery. In the early 20th century, increased poverty, segregation and unemployment incited more violent Halloween pranking. By the 1930s, the pranks turned into vandalism, resulting in millions of dollars of damage to U.S. cities, according to the Library of Congress.
In 1950, The Senate Judiciary Committee under President Truman recommended that the “Halloween problem” become, “Youth Honor Day,” hoping that communities would “cultivate the moral fiber of children,” according to Smithsonian Magazine. While this was not enacted, Halloween slowly evolved into a safer holiday and a night for children going door to door asking for candy.
Today’s Halloween is a celebration of scary and festive costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating.
