By: Alexander Hubert
Once a year, witches, superheroes, and a bevy of other fictional characters roam the streets after dark, asking their neighbours for candy. This familiar holiday needs no introduction. Most Canadian children grow up celebrating Halloween, carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating and trying to fit their costumes over layers of sweaters and jackets their parents insist they wear to stay warm. Although this holiday needs no explanation, it has a unique history. The traditions we celebrate today originated from a belief in dark spirits and supernatural entities and were influenced by both pagan and Christian beliefs. So before you bundle up as Barbie or Spiderman this October 31st, take some time to understand where this holiday came from and how it was shaped by different cultures, religions and beliefs throughout history.
The most dominant origin of Halloween is the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time of celebration that signified the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The change of the seasons was understood as a time when spirits could cross over from their realm into the mortal realm. On the night of Samhain, bonfires would be lit across towns to purify the land and act as a defense against spirits. People believed dressing up in costumes or disguises would confuse the supernatural and fend off unwanted entities. Turnips and pumpkins were also used for warding off spirits, which later became the jack-o-lanterns we see today. Samhain has been practiced for thousands of years and is still celebrated today by many Scottish and Irish people. Samhain even survived the Roman takeover of Celtic countries during the first century by blending with the Roman festival of Feralia, which further increased the idea of honouring souls.
As Christianity spread westward, the practice of All Hallows Eve meshed with Celtic traditions. Marking the day before All Souls Day, All Hallows Eve was a time for pensive thoughts of the dead. It was also used to rid the newly Christian land of pagan holidays, including Samhain. Incorporating Christian attributes into the lives of the Celts, Christians intended to slowly rid them of their traditions and assimilate them into Christian culture. The costumes and disguises originally worn during Samhain to ward off roaming spirits became costumes of saints and holy figures to honor Christian history. Although Christian theology and practice threatened to completely rid the Celts of traditional holidays like Samhain, practices continued throughout the community.
“Trick-or-treating” originated from Medieval and Victorian traditions in Europe. Communities would participate in “souling,” where the poor would go door to door offering prayers and penance in exchange for food or money. Over time, this tradition shifted into the one we know today. Children scoured their neighbourhood for candy and “tricked” their neighbours with harmless pranks. These traditions and customs made their way to North America during the 19th century when Scottish and Irish immigrants migrated to America and Canada. This move caused further changes to Halloween traditions when the holiday interacted with North American customs. Halloween is a blending of pagan and Christian festivals, a holiday that serves as a melting pot of cultures. While Halloween has since become more secular, the original traditions of pumpkin carving, costumes, and a focus on the supernatural still hold today.
Bibliography
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Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween : From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2002.
Winkler, Louis, and Carol Winkler. "Thousands of Years of Halloween." New York Folklore 26, no. 3 (1970): 204.