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Halloween roots unearthed
Halloween is, in the United States, traditionally a time for merriment, costumes, and make believe. But the roots of this fall holiday have more to do with the weather and a calender than it does with candy.
The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the Druid people of 1000 B.C. In the centuries between then and now, the traditions carried out yearly on Oct. 31 have become a mixture of Celtic, Roman and early Christian beliefs. However, most of the customs connected with the day are remnants of ancient religious beliefs and celebrations of the Druid New Year, Nov. 1.
For the Druids, who lived in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Britain, Oct. 31 marked the end of the summer and the last harvest of the year. It also marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter, which was often associated with death due to the harsh times. And on this day, "Sowen" was celebrated. To commemorate the event, the Druids first extinguished their hearth fires. They then gathered and built large, sacred bonfires which they gathered around to burn crops as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration they wore costumes, which typically consisted of animal heads and skins. When the celebration was over, they relit their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
Oct. 31 was also celebrated as the Eve of the Lord of the dead. It is suggested that on this day the Celtic people felt closest to family and friends present among them, and to those who had passed away over the years as well. The Celtics thought that the spirits of the dead came back to earth to roam for one last night to look for someone new to take over before they went to the next world. This is thought to be one of the reasons they wore costumes, or disguises, during their festivals. By A.D. 43, the Romans had conquered the majority of the Celtic lands. Over time, the Celtic and Roman traditions and festivals were combined into one. The bobbing for apples game is thought to have come from one of these combinations. One day in October was used by the Romans to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, and when incorporated with the harvest festivities of the Celtics, the practice of bobbing for apples was born.
By the 800's, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV designated Nov. 1 as All Saints Day in an attempt to replace the Celtic Nov. 1 Festival of the Dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The night before was to be called All-Hallows Eve which eventually became Halloween. However, what is ironic about the Christians trying replace the Celtic new year festivities is that in A.D. 1000, Nov. 2 was designated as All Souls' Day, a day which honored the dead, and was originally celebrated in much the same way as the Celtic Festival of the Dead. However, rather than dressing up as animals, they wore saint, angel, and devil costumes. The American tradition of trick-or-treating is thought to date back to the early All Souls' Day parades and celebrations in England. The practice was called "going a-souling." Originally it was carried out by poor people who would beg for food on All Souls' Day, and would be given "soul cakes" which were given in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. Eventually the practice was taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.
The distinct, American version of Halloween began to emerge as the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups, as well as the American Indians, meshed after the immigration to America began. Early celebrations once again included the end of harvest celebration as well as story-telling about the dead, dancing and singing.
After the 1846 Irish potato famine, millions of Irish immigrants came to America which helped popularize the celebration of Halloween nationwide. Irish, English and American traditions were combined, and trick-or-treating as we know it today is the result.
At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes, rather than celebrating the dead, ghosts, or pranks. Because of the efforts to make Halloween a more family oriented holiday, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
Now Halloween is celebrated with happy thoughts of ghosts, witches, scary stories and make believe in mind. Children (and some adults) will be out en masse tonight going door to door in fanciful, imagination inspiring costumes, hoping not for a soul cake, but for candy.