According to History, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion on Halloween each year, second only to Christmas. So, where did this highly celebrated, secular, commercial holiday come from? The answer is pretty complicated. From Celtic traditions to Christianity to “soul cakes,” Halloween has a long history, and has looked very different from what we picture today. The tradition of Halloween originated 2,000 years ago, with a Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in). Samhain celebrated the end of the harvest on October 31st, the day before the Celtic new year. It was also believed that October 31st was when the living and spirit world were the closest. They would set places at the dinner table for deceased relatives and friends, light sacred bonfires, burn crops, sacrifice animals, and wear costumes. After the celebration, they would light their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire to give them protection through the winter. After Celtic lands were conquered by the Roman Empire, two Roman holidays were incorporated into Samhain. Feralia, a day to honor the dead in late October, and a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, were integrated with the traditions of Samhain. Christianity expanded through Celtic lands in the 9th century. Various popes tried to replace pagan holidays like Samhain. All Saints’ Day, previously celebrated on May 13th, was moved to November 1st. Later, the church made a holiday called All Souls’ Day, celebrated on November 2nd, with some similar traditions to Samhain. People celebrated with bonfires, parades, and (church-approved) costumes. Today, it is largely believed that this holiday was created to replace and try to get rid of Samhain. The name of Halloween began with All Saints’ Day, also called All-hallows or All-Hallowmas, based off of its Middle English translation. The night before was referred to as All-Hallows Eve, which later evolved into Halloween. Just like the name Halloween, the origins of trick-or-treating are also from All Saints’ Day. During the celebration, the poor would go door to door, begging for food. Families would give out pastries called “soul cakes”, and the recipients would pray for their dead relatives in thanks. This was called “going a-souling,” and later children began to do it too, and the treats expanded past just “soul cakes”. To protect themselves, people wore masks when leaving their houses to trick ghosts into thinking they were one of them. Halloween largely made its way to America in the second half of the 19th century, with the help of an influx of Irish immigrants during the Potato Famine. Americans began to trick-or-treat, although they asked for food and money rather than candy. Halloween was also a time of mischief and pranks. In the late 1800s, it shifted to a more community-oriented holiday, and Halloween parties were popular. Halloween became secular by the 1920s and 1930s, and by the 1950s, it began to focus more on children and trick-or-treating was common again. Although Samhain, All Saints’ Day, and everything in between seem worlds away from today’s celebration, when you look at the heart of it, Halloween has always been centered in community traditions. Or maybe it's the tradition of eating good food and treats - who's to say? Whichever you believe, have a happy Samhain, a happy All Saints’ Day, and a happy Halloween! If this has inspired you to celebrate with soul cakes, here's a recipe: Easy Traditional Soul Cakes Recipe. Maybe stick to candy for trick-or-treaters, though! Sources: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/g4607/history-of-halloween/ Image sources: Time Out, Dimitra Fimi, Forbes, and ABC 7 Chicago - Hope Humphreys If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. If you would like to submit a single article - or anything else like creative writing, an opinion, an art piece, photo or photo series, or something else entirely - then you can do that using this form: https://forms.gle/WAHSoWJuVwK3q5du6. If you want to contact us for any reason, you can email
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