The History of Halloween

Have you ever wondered where our Halloween traditions came from? Or why we even have the holiday in the first place?

Halloween originated as a Celtic tradition during the festival of Samhain. From October 31st to November 1st, the Celtic people celebrated their harvests and welcomed the “Dark half of the year.” During Samhain, the Celts believed the barrier between the human and spirit world was down, or unavailable to them. To make the visiting spirits happy, people sacrificed cattle, left out food, and set other offerings in their fields. The traditional celebration was changed when the Roman Empire conquered many Celtic territories. By 43 A.D, the Romans had taken over the majority of the Celtic population. For 400 years, the Romans ruled over them, sharing their own traditions and practices. The combination of their cultures led to new practices over time.

The influences of Christianity in the 9th century changed the holiday forever. The celebration became split into two specific days: All Saints' day on November 2nd, and All Hallows' Eve (or Halloween) in the days before. 

Halloween has been present in America since its colonization. Though the Massachusetts colonies were not fond of the traditions, many colonies in the South embraced the holiday. The American Halloween traditions began with a wide variety of European and Native American ideas. Halloween was not celebrated throughout the whole country until a mass of Irish immigrants moved into the American states. After this migration, Halloween quickly became popular all around the country. Americans began to trick-or-treat in costumes after seeing European countries dress up on this special night.

During the late 1800’s the holiday became more focused on neighborly celebration. A day to get together with people in your community and party. In the 1920s and 30s, Halloween parties and parades were common. During this time, the holiday led teens to vandalize properties and play pranks on others. Halloween movies became popular among many as film technology and special effects became more advanced.

Today, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. On average, Americans spend more than 11 billion dollars on the holiday. And in the U.S., a quarter of the candy sold in a year is sold around Halloween. Many people love the holiday and the modern traditions connected to it. People love to dress up, hand out candy, and celebrate with friends on the 31st of October each year. How will you honor the traditions of one of America's favorite holidays of the season?