alloween happens every year, but little to no people know about its origins and its meaning. For the past couple of millennia, people have celebrated this holiday, and it has somewhat changed throughout the years in terms of its meaning and purpose. This holiday is primarily aimed at children dressed up as Dracula or Cinderella, going door to door knocking on people's houses, and asking for candy. But there is more to this holiday that a lot of people don't know about. Have you ever wondered why we dress up in costumes in the first place? What's the deal with the pumpkins with weird, derpy faces? If you don't treat me, am I supposed to trick you? And what the heck does Halloween even mean?
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throughout the years in terms of its meaning and purpose. This holiday is primarily aimed at children dressed up as Dracula or Cinderella, going door to door knocking on people's houses, and asking for candy. But there is more to this holiday that a lot of people don't know about. Have you ever wondered why we dress up in costumes in the first place? What's the deal with the pumpkins with weird, derpy faces? If you don't treat me, am I supposed to trick you? And what the heck does Halloween even mean?
Origins
Halloween originated back 2,000 years ago; back then was most commonly known as the Samhain (pronounced sow-in) festival created by the Celtic people. The Celts lived around Ireland, United Kingdom, and France, and Samhain was celebrated every year. However, to the Celtic people, the new year was November 1st, not December 31st. November 1st also marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, which was associated with death. The Celts also believed that the world between the dead and the living came together before the new year. So on October 31st, the Celts celebrated Samhain, which is when they believed ghosts and spirits returned from the dead and mingled among the living. These spiritual beings were the reason why crops weren't growing during the winter, the Celts believed. In addition, druids and priests would make predictions regarding their individual lives and produce, and many people took these seriously as they were comforting for them during the winter. During Samhain, druids and priests would create bonfires and burn animals as a tribute to the Celtic gods, in which the Celtic people also wore costumes (hint, hint) made from animal heads and skins and continued to tell each other their futures.
Fast forward a couple of years later, Christianity spread more across the Celtic lands, and the church implemented new holidays. November 2nd was considered All Souls' Day, or otherwise known as All Saints' Day, to honour the dead and a poor attempt to replace the Celtic holiday with a more church-friendly holiday. Now, this is the part where it gets a little more interesting and recognizable. All Saints' Day was also celebrated with bonfires, festivities, and costumes of saints, angels, devils, etc. And this holiday was also referred to as All-hallows or also All-hallowmas (originating from the English word Alholowmesse, which means All Saints' Day). Eventually, it began to be known as All-Hallows Eve, and now Halloween!
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By: Jesus Arambula
06 The Scoop