A Brief History of Halloween

For many people nowadays, Halloween is a celebration of all things scary –

an excuse to let our hair down as autumn moves towards winter. But behind

the parties, pumpkins and Halloween costumes, there’s a rich historical

tradition.

The name ‘Halloween’ is first recorded in the 16th century and is taken from

the original name ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ for the night of October 31st – the day

before the Christian feast of All Hallows. All Hallows’ Eve was a time to

honour the saints and pray for the recently deceased. Traditions included

baking bread or cakes, and those celebrating would wear masks or costumes

to disguise themselves from the souls of the departed who were still walking

the earth.
 

However, there are almost certainly pre-Christian origins for this festival. For

the early Celts, New Year’s Day was 1 November and the night before was

called Samhain. Samhain was the festival of the end of summer, and the time

when the physical and supernatural worlds were thought to be close together.

The Celts believed that this meant that magical things could happen, so

fires were built to help ward off the spirits and crops and animals would be

sacrificed to the gods. It was believed that spirits returned to the earth and

would tell the druids about what to expect in the coming year.
 

Historians believe that after the Roman invasion of the British Isles, the

Romans brought together Samhain with a number of their own festivals which

honoured the season or the dead, such as Parentalia, Pomona and Feralia.

Eventually, in the 7th century, the Roman Pope Boniface IV decreed that it

would become a day for celebrating Christian martyrs.

There are many practices that are now commonly associated with the 31

October, and throughout the world millions of people of different religions

mark the holiday with parties, fancy dress, trick or treating, pumpkin carving,

bonfires and spooky games. But while it might seem all fun and games, this is

a celebration with a real story behind it – and you can find out more about the

history of the holiday here.

This post is brought to you by Wool Worths