The History of Celtic Halloween
The Halloween custom has come a long way from its origins in Celtic Ireland, transforming from people celebrating a serious Pagan holiday into a fun, kid-friendly holiday. The history of the Halloween custom probably won’t end until the holiday itself dies out — and that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
The ancient origins of the Halloween custom originates from 2,000 years ago, from a sacred Celtic festival called Samhain. Samhain was an important festival in Celtic culture, celebrating the end of a year, and representing the final harvest for farmers. Since Samhain signified the end of a year, Celts also associated it with human death. They believed that on the night of October 31st the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year travelled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables during this occasion. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were considered to be in attendance, ghosts, fairies, and demons.
The Celts also believed halloween made it easier for Druids to make predictions about the future.
Christianity had spread into Celtic territory by the 800s. In an attempt to eradicate Samhain, Pope Boniface IV made November 1 All Saints’ Day, making the Celtic festival a church-approved holiday. All Saints’ Day was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas, and the night before All Saints’ Day was called All-hallows Eve. In the year 1000 the Catholic Church made November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was very similar to Samhain because they also