Why We Celebrate Halloween

Children enjoy dressing up in costumes, while houses stock candy for the trick-or-treaters. Parties are held and those who want to be frightened tour haunted houses. If you ask the average person where Halloween came from, you might receive a blank expression. Why do we celebrate Halloween?

Halloween’s history is shrouded in the mists of time. Some believe that the Celtic festival of Samhain is the foundation for Halloween. The Celts, (who lived in the UK, Ireland, and Northern France), celebrated their New Year on November first and Samhain was celebrated the night before.

The Celts believed that the New Year marked the end of summer. It signified harvest time and the start of the cold, dark winter months. Winter represented death to the Celts. They also believed that on the night before, the ghosts of the deceased returned to earth during the transition night.

Trick-or-Treating has several possible origins. The most likely is the English All Souls Day parades. It was traditional to feed the poor who asked for them pastries called soul cakes. The other possible source was from a tradition of leaving food on the doorstep to keep wandering ghosts from entering the dwelling.

Costumes also have several possible beginnings. European people, as well as Celtic people, saw that winter was a frightening time. Running out of food and starvation were very real dangers. The dark and cold were dangers that could invite death. When they reached the start of this season, many believe that the dead returned as ghosts. By wearing masks and costumes, it was believed that the dead would not recognize the living.

Scottish and Irish immigrants brought Halloween to the United States in the early 1800s. Most of the spookiness and scariness of the holiday was forgotten and a sense of fun and community was added. While costumes and scary scenes are still involved, it is now done out of fun rather than actual fright.