Happy Halloween everyone! I hope your night is full of ghoulish fun and lots of treats! Halloween isn’t the commercialized Halloween of today. It has a long and storied history, dating back over 2,000 years. It was derived from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in), which took place on November 1 – their New Year. They considered it the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold months of winter, also a time associated with human death.
The ancient Celts believed the night before the New Year (October 31) marked the time in which the veil between the living world and the dead was blurred and thinned. This was also the day ghosts were said to return to Earth. Not only was it thought the spirits caused trouble and damaged crops, Celts felt it was easier for Druids (Celtic priests) to make predictions about the future.
Why do we trick or treat in costume? Europeans brought their customs to the New World. Europeans traditionally dressed in costume to thwart spirits, and Americans carried on the tradition. They dressed up in costume and went house to house, “trick or treating” and asking for food or money. By the 1800s, the holiday became more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about the original meaning of ghosts and witchcraft.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, community-centered holiday, marked with parades and town- or city-wide Halloween parties with entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague some celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young.
Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. Families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. Many communities offer “trunk or treat” where families meet in a single spot with decorated vehicles or tables to offer a more safe environment than wandering the streets.
Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, between treats and décor and other fun, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday after Christmas.
Do you have special memories of Halloween? Did you know any of these facts? What’s your favorite way to spend the holiday? Let’s talk on Facebook!