Behind the Boo! How did Halloween start and why is it celebrated?

How did Halloween begin?

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 every year.

The spooky festival dates back to the ancient festival of Samhain, celebrated by the Celts, who lived about 2,000 years ago in what are known today as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France.

Celtic calendar marks Samhain or the Feast of the Dead as one of the most important celebrations. It celebrates the harvest and marks the end of summer, heralding the start of winter, a time of year most closely associated with death.

The Celts believed that during this time of the year, ghosts of the dead came back to the earth.

However, the Celtic pagans weren't fearful of the dead instead, Samhain was when Druids (Celtic priests) made prophecies. Huge bonfires were built, where people would offer crops and animals as sacrifices and wear costumes to ward off evil spirits.

Therefore, the modern name of the eve of Halloween has evolved from All Hallows' Evening, also referred to as Allhalloween, All Hallow's Eve or All Saint's Eve.

It is celebrated a day before the Christian holy day of All Saint's Day, which is celebrated across Europe to date.

Why is it celebrated?

Pope Gregory III announced November 1 as the day to honour saints and martyrs in the 8th century.

By the 9th century, Christianity had expanded into Celtic lands replacing and blending with the current pagan traditions.

To keep the peace with the pagans, the Pope ensured that All Saints' Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.

Over time, October 31, came to be known as All Hallows' Eve, and after gradually separating from Christianity it became what we celebrate today as Halloween.

Halloween became as popular as it is in the US after the Irish potato famine in the 1840s which led to a mass migration across the Atlantic.

Borrowing from European traditions, people began the custom of dressing up in costumes and going to their neighbours' houses to ask for food or money, a tradition which is celebrated today as trick or treating.

It has become the second-largest commercial holiday in the US after Christmas.

So keep the spooky spirits alive, dress up in exciting costumes and sing or shout- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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