Dating back over 2000 years ago, in the 5th century BCE, the idea of what is presently known as Halloween was birthed from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sah-win” or “sow-in”) which was perceived as the beginning of winter. The Celts strongly believed that on October 31st, invisible boundaries between the living and the dead became blurred. Spirits of the deceased would find their way back to earth and the Celts would light up bonfires, wear costumes and ward off evil spirits or dark forces.
When the Roman empire conquered the Celts, they merged their festivals with the Celtic traditions. The roman festival of Pomona (goddess of fruits and trees) and Feralia (a festival to honor the dead) where joined with the Samhain celebrations.
In the 7th century CE as Christianity had spread throughout Europe, the Christian church tried to wipe out the tradition of the Celts and Romans. Pope Boniface IV named November 1st as All Saints’ Day also known as All Hallows’ Day, a day set aside to honor all Christian saints and martyrs. So, the evening before All Saints’ Day became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which was later shortened to what we all know as Halloween.
Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
The story doesn’t end there. During the Middle Ages (12th to 15th centuries) the catholic church reinforced the Christian aspect of Halloween, thy called “souling” where the poor people would go from door-to-door requesting for food and other treats in exchange for praying for the dead. As Europeans arrived in the United States, they also brought with them their own Halloween traditions. This celebration was now more popular in America where it merged with other cultures. TRICK-OR-TREATING became popularized in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Today, Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and is a secular holiday observed by many people from different cultures and backgrounds. Moreover, it is a period where people decorate their homes with spooky items and kids will dress up in their favorite characters with their friends and bond with each other as they stroll through the neighborhood from door to door receiving candy after saying TRICK-OR-TREAT.
Jessie Ngowoh