A Few Halloween Facts You Can Share
This collection of Halloween facts will give you a better idea of where the holiday comes from, and why we celebrate it in the manner we do. Is or was Halloween a religious holiday or not? Why the black cats, witches, skeletons, and Jack O'Lanterns?
It All Started With Samhain - It all started a couple of thousand years back in what we now call the British Isles. Back then, the main inhabitants were the Celts, and Halloween had its beginnings as a Celtic festival. It wasn't called Halloween, that came later. The Celts called it the festival of Samhain, and it marked the end of the growing season with the harvest, and entrance into the dark and cold winter months. The Druids believed in the spirits of the dead, and in particular, that at this time of the year the spirits would arise and mingle with the living. On the one hand, it was believed that the spirits could offer advice and predictions of the future to the Druid priests. On the other hand, most people just wanted the spirits to keep their distance. A few Halloween facts trace some of the traditions we follow today back to Druid practices, designed to keep the spirits at bay.
The Romans And The Pope Get Involved - Although the Romans overran the Celtic tribes and occupied the British Isles for nearly four hundred years, the festival of Samhain continued. The Romans combined the holiday with two of their own, one of which, like Samhian, honored the dead and the cycle of life. By the 9th century, Christianity had spread to the British Isles, and under the direction of the Pope, the festival of Samhain was eventually replaced by All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. The evening before All Saint's Day became known as All-hallows Eve. Although Samhain was eventually replaced, at least in name, most of its traditions remained, including bonfires, and the wearing of costumes, now representing both dead spirits and angels.
Halloween As We Know It - It was the merging of two celebrations that give birth to the Halloween we know today. First in the American colonies and later, following independence, it became the custom to celebrate the end of the harvest season, just as was done in Europe at the time, and as the Celts had done earlier. There was nothing involving either religion or superstitions in the American celebration however. The Americans simply held festivals at around the time we now call Halloween, to celebrate the harvest. As immigrants began to arrive from Europe, they of course brought many of their beliefs and traditions with them. It was the wave of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800's who came to the United States with the Halloween traditions. The Halloween idea quickly caught on. The idea of Halloween wasn't entirely new, as immigrants from England and Ireland had settled earlier in the New England States, but the Protestant church did not look upon the festival favorably, and it took until the mid-19th century for Halloween to really take hold. At the time, there were still many pagan and religious traditions and beliefs associated with Halloween, but by the beginning of the 20th century, the holiday had become essentially secular, and firmly entrenched into the American culture.
In the early part of the 20th century, Halloween facts reveal that the holiday was as much a time for mischief making and vandalism as it was for celebration. This was a time when many homes were surrounded by a fence, and there was a gate to gain entry into the front yard. A popular tradition was to remove someone's front gate and hide it elsewhere. If a flagpole was nearby, the gate could often be seen hanging from the flagpole the next morning. Other items found there way up flagpoles during Halloween as well. Eventually neighborhoods and communities began to organize Halloween parties and events, and these family and community oriented events eventually brought the mischief-making to a halt. It was at this time the tradition of Trick or Treat became popular. Trick or Treat had been popular many years in the past, but the tradition had died out. Shortly after the end of World War II, the tradition was revived, and of course is the centerpiece of Halloween festivities today. (continued...)