The Celts, the Romans
Samhain.
For a people entirely dependent
on the volatile natural world,
these prophecies were an
important source of comfort and
direction during the long, dark
winter. To commemorate the
event, Druids built huge sacred
bonfires, where the people
gathered to burn crops and
animals as sacrifices to the
Celtic deities. During the
celebration, the Celts wore
costumes, typically consisting of
animal heads and skins, and
attempted to tell each other’s
fortunes. When the celebration
was over, they re-lit their hearth
fires, which they had
extinguished earlier that
evening, from the sacred
bonfire to help protect them
during the coming winter. By 43
Today’s Halloween traditions
The American Halloween tradition of
“trick-or-treating” probably dates back
to the early All Souls’ Day parades in
England. During the festivities, poor
citizens would beg for food and families
would give them pastries called “soul
cakes” in return for their promise to pray
for the family’s dead relatives. The
distribution of soul cakes was
encouraged by the church as a way to
replace the ancient practice of leaving
food and wine for roaming spirits. The
practice, which was referred to as
“going a-souling” was eventually taken
up by children who would visit the
houses in their neighborhood and be
given ale, food, and money.
A.D., the Roman Empire had
conquered the majority of
Celtic territory. In the course of
the four hundred years that they
ruled the Celtic lands, two
festivals of Roman origin were
combined with the traditional
Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late
October when the Romans
traditionally commemorated
the passing of the dead. The
second was a day to honor
Pomona, the Roman goddess of
fruit and trees. The symbol of
Pomona is the apple and the
incorporation of this celebration
into Samhain probably explains
the tradition of “bobbing” for
apples that is practiced today
on Halloween.