To celebrate Halloween this year our colleague Joseph has written an insightful blog exploring the origins of Halloween.
Halloween is most commonly known for fancy dress and chocolates. However, the traditions associated with this holiday are deep and ancient. Heather Thomas from the Library of Congress writes that the origin of Halloween 'has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced "SAH-win"), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts' (2011, NP).
The word Halloween comes from the phrase All Hallows Eve. The 1st of November is the feast of All Saints' Day in many Christian traditions and as a result the 31st of October is the Eve (day before- just like Christmas Eve) of All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows - Hallows meaning Holy).
As with many other pagan celebrations it is likely that All Saints' Day was used to Christianise the time of celebration as the new religion become slowly dominant from 0 AD - 1000 AD. Christian Missionaries and Bishops would adapt the Christian faith to local customs to make new converts more comfortable and so that they could keep their cultural practices. At the same time some scholars argue that the two have little to do with one another given that All Saints Day used to be celebrated around May time near to Pentecost and was moved in the 800s.
Hallowtide (31st of October to the 2nd of November) includes both All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, when Christians remember those who have died. In some places it is still the custom for Christians to go and place candles and to clean the graves of loved ones on the 31st of October and 1st of November. Halloween is traditionally a preparation day for the casting out of evil and the celebration of the victory of life over death during All Saints' Day.
Even the practice of 'trick-or-treating can, for example, be traced back to a medieval Christian tradition, in which the poor would go to wealthy homes on Hallowtide - the eve of All Saints' Day - and offer prayers in exchange for food and beer' (Waxman, 2019, NP).
Bibliography
Thomas, H. (2021) The origins of Halloween Traditions. Accessed at: https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/10/the-origins-of-halloween-traditions/ (Accessed 19th of October 2023).
Waxman, O, B. (2019). Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? Here's Why That Question Has Been Picking Up Steam Since the 1960s. Time. Accessed at: time.com/5711847/christian-halloween-controversy-history/ (Accessed 19th October 2023).
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