Trick or treat! Isn’t it fun to see all the little children dressed up in their Halloween costumes? The little angels, the little devils; the little cowboys, the little Indians; the little fairies, the little witches – all shapes and styles of fun costumes. But have you ever thought about where this custom came from? We’d like to tell you all about the interesting history of Halloween. So put on your Halloween costume and read on.
Halloween is older than Christianity
It’s hard to imagine a holiday like Halloween being older than Christ. But it was. It actually started way back in the fifth century B.C. in Ireland. The people of Ireland, called Celts, were very superstitious – they believed very strongly in the spirit world. In fact, as far as they were concerned, their lives depended on it.
What the Celts were most afraid of was spirit possession. According to their beliefs, the souls, or spirits, of all the people who had died that year, gathered together on October 31st, the day that represented the end of summer for the Celts. At this meeting, the souls decided whose body, either person or animal, they’d occupy for the next year. You see, that was apparently a prerequisite for a peaceful entrance to heaven – that one year of penance, occupying another living body.
The beginning of Halloween costumes
The last thing a Celt wanted was to be possessed by somebody else’s soul for a whole year. So they did everything they could think of to frighten away these spirits. Some of the methods they used became the origins of some of our present day Halloween customs.
For example, every October 31st, all the Celts doused all the fires in the fireplaces throughout their houses, hoping the cold and dark of the night would keep the disembodied spirits away. They then went around the house, making as much noise as they could, also to frighten away the spirits.
The next thing they did was dress up in their Halloween costumes, which consisted of witches, goblins and demons. Now, their purpose wasn’t to go trick or treating with them – it was to create as scary an image as they could, to frighten off the spirits.
Why we have Halloween bonfires
The next step in the Celts’ paranoid practice was to gather the whole family together, all dressed up in their costumes, and parade around the house. When they’d done enough dancing around, throwing down furniture and creating general havoc, they took their “party” outside into the streets, still doing everything they could to create an atmosphere that would scare away the spirits.
They paraded on down the streets to an area just outside their town. Here, a Druid priest had a huge bonfire blazing away. And woe betides those who appeared to have already been possessed; they were often thrown into the fire – a sacrifice that had to be made to kill the soul that had possessed the body. It was also meant to set an example to the other spirits who were trying to possess another body.
The Roman invasion of Ireland calmed Halloween down a bit
By 61 A.D., the Romans had moved north to Ireland. They adopted the Irish Halloween theme as a whole, but the human sacrifices were a bit much, even for the somewhat barbaric Romans. Instead, they burned effigies on the bonfires. This custom is still practiced in some places, like England, for example, where they burn a scarecrow on a big bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day. (In England, Halloween isn’t celebrated; instead they observe Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th, with the customary bonfire and fireworks display.)
As time went on, the belief in spirit possession lost its edge, but the Halloween theme was carried on. Every October 31st, people still danced around bonfires in their Halloween costumes and performed mischievous tricks on each other. And this continued on for many centuries.
The Jack-o’-Lantern originates in Ireland
Our custom today of carving out pumpkins and putting candles in them, also came from early Ireland. According to Irish folklore, there was an Irishman named Jack, who was nothing but an obnoxious drunk. Jack was notorious for going around in a drunken stupor, causing trouble for everyone. He was always looking for some way to play tricks on someone – anyone.
One day, he picked on the wrong guy – the devil himself. Things started out quite well for Jack when he persuaded the devil to climb up a tree. As soon as the devil was up there, Jack carved a cross in the trunk, preventing the devil from coming down. Jack must have been getting tired of his troublesome lifestyle, because he kept asking the devil to stop tempting him, and wouldn’t let him down until he did. Finally, the devil gave in, and promised Jack he’d never tempt him to sin again.
When Jack finally died, he was refused admittance to heaven because of his drunken doings, and the devil certainly wasn’t about to let him into hell – not after the trick he’d played on him. So Jack was condemned to spend eternity – or at least until Judgment Day – in the cold and dark recesses of limbo.
Jack pleaded with the devil to at least give him some embers so he could light his way. And although the devil had an abundance of embers, he’d only give Jack one, which he put inside a turnip that he’d chewed the center out of. And that was “Jack’s lantern” for all time – and also the beginning of the Irish custom of hollowing out turnips and placing candles in them.
Irish immigrants bring Halloween to America
In the 1840s, a potato famine hit Ireland, and since potatoes were a staple for the Irish, many of them ran off to America – the land of plenty. And they took their Halloween customs of wearing costumes and causing mischief with them.
The Irish youths, in their new homeland of New England, loved Halloween because it was their annual excuse to go out and cause trouble. They loved doing things like overturning outhouses and unhinging people’s front gates. Again, the custom of Halloween mischief still reigns (unfortunately) today.
The Irish also brought their custom of jack-o’-lanterns with them. Unfortunately, their weren’t many turnips around. But what they did find was an abundance of pumpkins. The Pilgrims had found a wonderful use for the insides of the pumpkin – to make Thanksgiving pumpkin pies – but now the Irish settlers could use the leftover outside shells in place of turnips. And they gave them many more possibilities for carving angry faces because they were much bigger than turnips.
Trick or treating has been around almost as long as Halloween
The origin of trick or treating goes back to the 9th century, or so most reports say. It’s not clear how it was connected with Halloween. It came from an observance called All Soul’s Day, where the poor Christians trudged from village to village, begging for soul cakes, which were square biscuit with currants. In return for the soul cakes, the beggars promised to pray for the dead relatives of the donors. It was significant for the dead to have as many prayers as possible, because it was believed that they had to serve time in limbo before going to heaven, and the extra prayers would help them get there faster.
So the more biscuits the Christians got, the more prayers they offered up. That created the concept of trick or treat – the prayers were in direct ratio to the gift. And still today, the tricks are in direct ratio to the treats – or lack of them.
Halloween has remained constant over the centuries
Many holidays we celebrate these days are from ancient customs. But many of them have had changes to them. Halloween is one that hasn’t changed much at all. The most constant aspect is the date – it was October 31st at its onset, and it remains that way today.
With the commercialization of many holidays, there are certainly more things to do on Halloween now. You can attend a Halloween party, either for the kids or the adults. While there, you’ll find many unique Halloween masks and Halloween decorations. Or you may want to go to a Halloween event that sells crafts, or gives free Halloween recipes. And wherever you go, don’t forget your digital camera – you’ll want to save those unique Halloween memories.
Whatever you choose to do on Halloween, do it safely. There are lots of opportunities to have lots of fun on Halloween. And a little tricky fun is ok, as long as you don’t let the pranks get out of hand.
Enjoy your Halloween – but watch out for the ghosts!
About The Author
Gareth Marples is a successful business writer providing valuable tips and advice. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.
