Each year on 31 October, we celebrate Halloween and it is seldom asked, where did it come from and why do we dress up in costumes, send the children out to trick or treat, and display jack 'o lanterns, skeletons, and spider webs? Well, I thought that it may be time to try and answer the questions and determine why we value what we do on that night. It turns out that the night is really a lot more complicated and steeped in combinations of paganism, religion, and folly. I always think of this time as the real start of winter, and recall that last Halloween we had a very large snow storm. I guess that is what happens when you fail to see the night through a child's eye. But, rather than rewrite what I have read, I thought it better to post a sample from History.com and provide a link. They have done a great job of capturing the background of the holiday. Wikipedia also has some good information. And, I have included some illustrations from cards of the late 1930's and the present from Dover publications. Enjoy!
"Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats". Full story is here.
"Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats". Full story is here.
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