With Halloween’s history shrouded in pagan rituals and sacrifices, its origins may be different than you think. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. According to History.com, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as All Saints Day. After about 100 years of the Romans occupying the land, both holidays were incorporated into each other. Over time, ‘All Hallows Eve’ shifted to Halloween and to the holiday that we know today, and the traditions that we think of when we think of Halloween.
The origins of Halloween date back more than 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated Samhain to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. They believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to return to Earth. To ward off these wandering ghosts, people built bonfires and wore costumes to confuse and hide from the supernatural beings.
During the expansion of the Roman Empire which ruled much of the known world from 27 BCE to 476 CE the Celts lands came under Roman control. The Romans sought to blend their customs with those of the local populations as a means of creating unity and peace among the cultures. As a result, certain Roman traditions merged with Celtic practices. One influence came from Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Apples, one of her symbols, were a common food source in Western Europe, and it is believed that Pomona’s influence contributed to the modern Halloween game of bobbing for apples.
When Irish and Scottish immigrants brought Halloween traditions to America in the 19th century, the holiday underwent another transformation. Communities began hosting parties and neighborhood gatherings centered around games, seasonal foods and festive costumes rather than focusing on the supernatural. By the early 20th century, Halloween had become a largely secular, family-oriented celebration. The tradition of trick-or-treating emerged in the 1950s, evolving from a mischievous custom. On the last night of October, rowdy teenagers often spent the evening playing pranks and causing chaos around their towns. In an effort to prevent vandalism, residents began leaving treats such as sugared popcorn outside their doors to please the pranksters. Over time, this practice developed into a beloved trick-or-treating tradition.
Halloween has become a holiday that people around the world celebrate, either with tricks or treats. On Oct. 31, children will dress up and go visit their neighbors, either to ask for candy or play pranks.