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What Are the Origins of Halloween?

The origin of Halloween has it's roots in ancient Celtic culture. Immigrants of what we now know as the British Isles brought pagan traditions and customs with them to America.

The spirit of those traditions live on in the Halloween festivities of today.

To examine the origin of Halloween, let's look first at the word.

Halloween is also known as "Hallowe'en", "All Hallow's Eve", and "All Soul's Night".

For the ancient Celts, and those all over Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales, October 31st was a day that signaled the transition of summer into fall, and the last day of the year.

During this time, the dead were celebrated. October 31st lies between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice. On this day, the ancient spiritualists believed that the veil between the spirit world and the natural world was at it's thinnest, allowing the deceased to cross over. This time was called "Samhain". Samhain is Gaelic, pronounced "SAW-win" or "SAW-vane", which means "summer's end."

If you've wondered about the origins of trick-or-treating or the carving of jack-o-lanterns, they are ancient Celtic customs.

While celebrating the New Year, those that gave much were praised, and those that did not give generously were cursed. Jack-o-lanterns have their origins in the Celtic use of the name "Jack" to represent nature spirits, and the old tale of a man named Jack who was not permitted to enter heaven or hell.

Jack wandered through the night, holding a candle inside a turnip. The Irish carved gourds and other vegetables, and lit the insides with embers. This practice evolved into the carving of pumpkins.

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