The Story of Halloween Attires, Goodies and Other Traditions
Halloween is a fun occasion laden with traditions. Though they seem uninspired to us now, grooming like the undead and begging for goodies door-to-door is really an unusual thing to do! Discover how these traditions came to be, and what they mean today.
Halloween’s Celtic Beginning
The occasion that germinated into Halloween was first famous over 2,000 years ago by the Celtic people, who called it Samhain. The Samhain festival functioned as the New Year for the Celtic individuals, as their calendars started out on November 1. During Samhain they observed the fall harvest and the emerging of wintertime with huge bonfires. In the bonfires they consecrated crops and animals to the Celtic gods. The Celts also wore beast skins and heads during the Samhain bonfires, which is where the Halloween tradition of costumes sprung up.
Halloweens Christian Inception
In the 600’s A.D., November 1 was intended by the Pope to be All Saints Day; a day to observe and observe Christian saints and martyrs. It is believed that Pope Boniface IV picked out November 1 as All Saints Day to replace the pagan Samhain festival with a church-accredited holiday. All Saints Day became known as “All Hallows Day” due to the Middle English word for it, which was ‘Alholowmesse.’ Consequently, the evening prior to All Hallows Day became renowned as “All Hallow’s Eve.” The church subsequently assigned November 2 as “All Souls’ Day,” a day to observe loved ones who have moved on. During All Souls’ Day promenades in England, “soul cakes” were a kind of Halloween treats handed out to impoverished individuals in return for a promise that they would pray for slain family members.
Visits from the haunts of the dead could be dangerous, of course, so the Celts and Druids assumed animal attires for shelter. After the rise of Christianity, the nighttime before the autumn festival became celebrated as All-hallows Eve. The American jubilation came forth from the combining of many unique immigrant traditions.
