As the nights draw in, we can tell the colder months are approaching. Though, this isn’t all. It’s almost that time of year again where kids dress up in their scariest outfit and visits houses asking for a treat. But how why exactly do we celebrate Halloween? We take a look at some of the history behind this now incredibly popular tradition.
Though there’s much debate about the exact origins and reasoning, this is one of the coming theories. Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic culture. It’s within the Gaelic holiday called Samhain. It’s within this holiday that tribes would like fires and wears masks as this was thought to ward off any spirits. By the 8th Century, Pope Gregory III said that November 1 was a holiday to honor the various Catholic saints. This is a day in which incorporated some of the elements of Samhain. The eve of this day was called All Hallow’s Eve. But this has since evolved into the name Halloween.
So why exactly did this holiday fall on November 1st? The reasoning behind this is down to the transition of days becoming shorter and the nights drawing in. Also, in Celtic tradition, it was believed on October 31st (Halloween as we know it) the boundary between those living and the dead became a blur. They thought that wearing a mask would be your protection from the spirits around. This was the basis of Halloween. Through time, this then developed into what we know today. Kids will dress up in scary costumes and go to houses around their area. They will then ask for a treat like sweets (candy) and if they didn’t get this, then would often play a trick such as covering the house in toilet roll and then, the halloween as we know it was born.
