The Full Halloween History

This October millions and millions of people all over the globe will celebrate the holiday of Halloween. But very few of these people will have virtually any idea where Halloween came from. In fact, many would be surprised to learn that Halloween history dates back more than two thousand years ago. Halloween history is an interesting subject for sure; here are some of the overviews of Halloween history for you to understand it better.

As I mentioned above, the story of Halloween history goes back several thousand years to an ancient tribe of people called the Celts. The Celts lived in what is now known today as Ireland and marked the end of October as a day for celebration. They marked this date as the end of the growing season and the beginning of a long and dark winter, which was dangerously lethal back then. The built giant bonfires and sacrificed food and animals to the gods, thanking them for a bountiful harvest and pleading for divine protection for the harsh months ahead. They danced around the bonfires in various animal costumes to appease the gods – from this, we get the Halloween costumes today.

The Irish continued to celebrate this harvest ceremony up to the spread of Christianity to the British Isles. The pope recognized that it is easier to create new holidays to replace or transform the old pagan ways and made November First, All Saints’ Day in an attempt to bring a different religious aspect to the holiday.

Halloween history took another turn when the Irish began immigrating into the United States of America throughout the nineteenth century. They brought with them the tradition of going door to door and asking for treats or baked goods from neighbors. This practice mutated more in the United States as civic leaders wanted to transform the holiday to a larger community event, and in the early twentieth century, Halloween festivities were conducted, by and large in community centers, until the mid of the century, where it returned to the neighborhoods.

Halloween history is full and rich with stories and tradition. It moved from a pagan ceremony celebrating the harvest, to a religious experience to finally the community event it is today. Learning just a little bit about Halloween history has allowed me to appreciate a little more the full spectrum of Halloween and I enjoy the holiday that much more – I hope you do too!

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