Halloween’s Origins Date Back to Celts

By Mark Hoerrner

Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls, oh my! The History Channel reports that Americans will spend nearly $7 billion on Halloween this year, making it the second largest commercial holiday. The popularity of the modern Halloween observance is undeniable, but the origins of the day are far more humble.

The modern-day Halloween has evolved from the simple traditions of a largely agriculture-dependent society to the colorful, costume-wearing candyfest that most of America celebrates today. According to most historians, it’s the Celts, the peoples of what is now Scotland, Ireland and Wales, that first gave the world the traditions of Halloween wrapped in the celebration of Samhain.

Samhain marked the beginning of the winter when leaves would fall, crops would die back and all of the natural world’s imagery was linked with the death that comes before renewal in the Spring. To celebrate this holiday, the Celts would build effigies out of crops, livestock and other offerings to keep the dead at bay. At the time, it was thought that the spirits of the dead returned to the land of the living. Though this prospect likely frightened the average Celt, the society at large knew that communion with the dead was useful in Druidic religious practices.

Later, as the Romans occupied what is now Ireland, the home of the Celts, some of the Roman traditions mixed with those of the locals. Four centuries of Roman rule shortly after the death of Christ may have added the Roman holiday of Feralia, the day of the dead, to the celebration of Samhain. In addition, a nod to Pomona, goddess of fruit and trees, was given during this time. It was this inclusion, according to history.com, which likely led to the tradition of "bobbing" for apples. Pomona’s ritual symbol was that of an apple.

Four hundred years later, in the early 800s, the Roman Catholic church added to the holiday’s evolution with the proclamation by Pope Boniface IV who dubbed Nov. 1 as "All Saints Day" to honor all saints and those who had died as martyrs. It is a widely held belief that this move was made to try to blot out the pagan festivals associated with Halloween but simply added to the holiday’s association with death. The day was called Alholomesse in Middle English which was updates to All-Hallowmas or All Hallow’s Eve. In Ireland, the derivative was Hallow E’en. Later, the church would add "All Souls Day" on Nov. 2 to honor the dead.

The addition of the "Trick or Treat" portion of Halloween has come in more recent years. In fact, as late as the 1920s and 30s, the traditions of dressing up as Halloween haunts and going door-to-door for candy were not practiced at large. The origins of these activities may have come from England where All-Souls Day parades were held. The poor would beg for food and wealthier citizens would give them pastries, called Soul Cakes, in return for blessings on the wealthier family’s dead. The church encouraged this behavior mostly to replace the tradition of leaving food and drink for traveling spirits. Children, rather than ghosts or goblins, took up the idea of going door-to-door asking for food. It is unclear when costumes were introduced, though the Celts did have a superstition about being harassed by the dead. At the time of Samhain, it was not unusual to see travelers wearing masks to avoid being recognized by the dead.

In America, the holiday was largely about pranks with children and teens turning over coal-ash buckets, relocating outhouses and similar tricks. It was the great rush of Irish and European immigrants that brought most of the Halloween traditions into America, though the practice would not truly catch on until the late 1920s.

Because of the influence of Christian groups that sought to remove anything ghastly or grotesque from the celebration, it lost most of the history or ceremonial resemblance to the older Samhain holiday. Community groups worked to mold Halloween into a community holiday that featured harvest icons and foods.