History of Halloween

Carving Jack-o’-Lanterns

The tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland, with the use of turnips. Locals began carving scary faces into their turnips to scare away evil spirits. This later evolved into the practice of carving pumpkins.

Seeing Ghosts

Celtic people believed that during the festival of Samhain, spirits could walk the Earth. Eventually, Christian missionaries began to observe All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.

Wearing Scary Costumes

To scare away evil spirits during Samhain, Celts wore disguises. This late evolved into the practice of wearing costumes on Halloween.

Trick-or-Treating

Several theories exist as to the origins of trick-or-treating:

1.) During Samhain, the Celts would leave out food for the spirits who walked Earth.

2.) In the Middle Ages children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers. This was known as Souling.

3.) American trick-or-treating stems from belsnickeling, a German tradition where children would dress up in costume and have adults guess who they were. The adults would provide candy to the children who were unidenitified.

Black Cats

Felines were considered a sign of the Devil. When the witch trials began, people began to call black cats "familiars". This furthered the view of black cats as bad omens.

Lighting Candles and Bonfires

Bonfires were used to illuminate the way for souls seeking the afterlife.

Bat

During Samhain, Celts lit bonfires which caused large amounts of insects to appear. The bugs then attracted bats. Watching bats quickly became a part of the festivals, where people then began to share tales of superstitions around the idea that bats were the harbingers of death.

Candy Corn

The Goelitz company began to sell candy corn in 1898, advertising it as "Chicken Feed" with the slogan "something worth crowing for". When trick-or-treating became popular, candy corn became a Halloween specific treat.

Photo Credits:

  • https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-pumpkins-in-bright-sunlight-28827298/
  • https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2022/10/28/the-pumpkin-a-culinary-history-of-an-american-icon/
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/crsan/5155108796
  • https://boudewijnhuijgens.getarchive.net/amp/media/witches-oberzell-strassenfasnet-fb2409
  • https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-kid-wearing-skeleton-costume-on-halloween-5859755/
  • https://picryl.com/media/cat-black-animal-animals-134946
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hallowe%27en_bonfire_Dublin.jpg
  • https://animalia.bio/common-vampire-bat
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reflected_candy_corn,_October_2006.jpg