Written By Francesca Billings
The history of Halloween is imagined by many people in different ways. Some believe that candy companies invented Halloween, while others think it came from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Have you ever wondered how Halloween really began? I know I have!
If you guessed that it started with the ancient Celts, you were right. Halloween originated as the Celtic festival of Samhain, marking the end of summer and the harvest, as well as the beginning of the dark, cold winter. Many Celts believed that on the night before the new year, October 31, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. They thought that the dead could return to Earth as ghosts.
Later, Christians incorporated parts of the festival into their own traditions. November 1 became All Saints’ Day, and the night before was called All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually became known as “Halloween.”
The Celts, who lived over 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. Over time, Halloween evolved into community-based events with child-friendly activities.
Trick-or-treating, one of Halloween’s most popular traditions, is thought to have come from the medieval practice of “souling.” During this time, the poor would go door to door, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. The tradition of dressing up in costumes is also connected to Celtic and medieval practices, where people wore disguises to hide from or impersonate spirits.
The SAMS Salmon 