Halloween at the Garden

Spooky Number 5

Halloween has a rich and complex origin, primarily tracing back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced *sow-in*), combined with later influences from Roman and Christian traditions.
1. The Celtic Festival of Samhain (About 2,000 years ago) Location: Originated in the regions that are now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France.
Meaning: Samhain, which means “summer’s end,” marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the “darker half” of the year and the Celtic New Year.
Spiritual Beliefs: The Celts believed that on the night before the New Year (the night of October 31st), the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest. This allowed spirits, including ghosts, fairies, and demons, to cross over and mingle with the living.

Samhain Customs that Influenced Halloween: Costumes People would light bonfires and wear costumes, often made of animal heads and skins, both to ward off evil spirits and to disguise themselves so the spirits wouldn’t recognize them. Large communal bonfires were lit for rituals, sacrifices, and to relight hearth fires for the winter.
2. Christian Influence (8th – 11th Centuries) As Christianity spread, the Church sought to replace or incorporate the pagan festival of Samhain: All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Day): In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all Christian saints. This holiday eventually incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.
All Souls’ Day By 1000 AD, November 2nd was designated a day to honor all the faithful departed. The Name “Halloween”:** The night before All Saints’ Day (November 1st) became known as All Hallows’ Eve, which was later shortened and corrupted into Halloween.

3. Immigration to America. The celebration was largely limited in colonial America, especially in Puritan New England.
The traditions were brought to North America en masse by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 19th century.
Jack-O’-Lanterns: The tradition of carving lanterns came from the Irish custom of carving turnips to ward off the ghost of “Stingy Jack.” In America, the larger, softer pumpkin was adopted as the preferred substitute. Trick-or-Treating: This custom may have derived from European practices of “souling” (the poor would go door-to-door asking for “soul cakes” in exchange for a prayer) or the Irish tradition of farmers going door-to-door collecting food for a village feast with a promise of good fortune or a threat of bad luck.
Today, Halloween is a largely secular celebration that blends elements of all these historical customs, focusing on costumes, candy, and all things spooky.