A Brief History of Halloween!



As a child you no doubt put on a costume and amassed a bagful of candy from generous neighbors. But do you know the history of this ghoulish holiday?

Halloween comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). Celebrated in the winter, it was a time of great fear and uncertainty. Food supplies ran low… days were short… and dangerous cold threatened. Many people were afraid of the dark and refused to leave their homes. It was believed that the spirits of all who died the preceding year would return and haunt the living. Those who ventured from home dressed up in grotesque costumes to fool spirits into believing that they were just another spirit. People also left food at their doors to appease the spirits. During the 8th century, the Christian church replaced this pagan holiday by proclaiming November 1 “All Saints’ Day.” The night before was called “All Hallows Eve” (meaning “holy evening”), which eventually became known as Halloween.

There’s more to the Jack-O-Lantern than a goofy-looking pumpkin. Its history goes back to 18th-century Irish folklore about a mean-spirited drunkard named Jack who trapped the Devil inside the trunk of an apple tree. Upon Jack’s death, he was turned away from heaven because of his terrible behavior on earth, and rebuffed by the devil at the gates of hell. The devil threw Jack a burning lump of coal, which he put into a hollowed-out turnip and carried everywhere to help him light his way throughout eternity. To protect themselves from Jack on All Hallows Eve, people placed Jack-O-Lanterns by their doors and windows in hopes that Jack would take the light instead of bothering them!

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