Halloween History

Halloween celebration traditions are held every October 31st. Today the ones who enjoy Halloween the most are the children. Halloween is a popular time to get up in fancy dress and go from house to house trick or treating. Some people take the time to set up displays in their homes and front yards with tombs and ghosts in a Halloween theme.

Halloween is very old Celtic festival, and has continued through time most strongly in the Celtic communities in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. From there, with emigration, Halloween has spread around the world, most notably to the United States. In later years, the spread of popular American culture has kindled new interest in Halloween to some places for the first time, such as Asia and Western Europe.

The first Celtic customs were pagan festivals linked to the seasonal changes with the onset of winter. The ancients saw it as a time when the living could contact the dead, and magic things could happen. The early Christian church, as with many pagan festivals, absorbed these customs into the Christian calendar. All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows Day, was assigned to November 1st. All Hallows Evening, the night of October 31st, became known as Hallow E’en, later just Halloween, and the time for the ancient celebrations.

Halloween was celebrated in each village, and there was usually a large fire to keep warm and entertaining games. The apple harvest was going on, and games such as trying to eat an apple on a string or floating in a tub of water with no hands, were favorites. Children would go from house to house to gather fruit, nuts and other foodstuffs for the festivities, which was the origin of the “treating” visits of today. Notably in Scotland, the children would sing or put on a performance in return for the treats they were handed. Nowadays the treats handed out are usually candies and sweets, and perhaps some coins.

Early on, Halloween “tricks” were secretive and often clever pranks played on some adults by children. The mischievous spirits that were said to be abroad on Halloween were blamed. This activity was especially popular in Ireland. A long time ago, tricks and treating combined into an ultimatum: give a treat or become the victim of a trick. This undesirable habit led to such unpleasantness as tossing eggs at houses and soaping windows, and more serious vandalism. Nowadays such unruly behavior is not often seen.

Halloween party venues are often decorated with a haunted house theme. To the pleasure of children, Halloween menu items often include tomato soup described as vampire soup, spaghetti renamed as cemetery worms, and the always popular long cookies tipped with sliced almonds and described as witches’ fingers. Pumpkins are made into carved jack-o-lanterns, and the pumpkin flesh used for pumpkin dishes, such as the pumpkin pie that is traditionally a feature of Halloween menus.

Over recent years, the wizardry themes of the popular Harry Potter books have introduced new approaches to Halloween costumes and decorations for children’s Halloween parties.

Halloween fancy dress parties have grown in popularity for adults too in recent years. They are a suitable reason to dress up and party. It appears the trend today is for any costume to be fine, not necessarily just the customary witches, ghouls, vampires and ghosts of Halloween. Costume design inspirations are now taken from many origins, such as well known films and television series. Some costumes are just smart, such as the seasonally relevant theme of a “leaf blower”, being merely of a leaf on a string hung from the brim of a hat where it can be blown.

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