Halloween Customs and Traditions
The Origins of Halloween and its Place in Modern Culture
Aug 20, 2009
Halloween celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marked the end of the summer and the death of the sun god Pugh. Many Halloween customs also date from this period.
Halloween is known by several different names, including All Hallows' Eve. The word "hallow" means "saints". Halloween falls the day before All Saint's Day, a festival created by the Roman Catholic Church to recognise saints without their own specific days during the year.
Halloween Customs
In Ireland it is still not uncommon to light bonfires on October 31st. This Halloween custom has particularly ancient roots. The Celts used to light huge fires to scare away evil spirits. They also dressed up in animal skins, starting the Halloween tradition of wearing costumes. The Celts believed dead relatives could return to earth as animals, particularly black cats. To this day black cats are associated with Halloween.
Apples have long been associated with Halloween. There are various Halloween customs associated with the fruit, including using it to predict future spouses. Bobbing for apples - also known as "dooking" in Scotland - is still a popular Halloween custom. Its roots may lie with the Romans and their fruit goddess Pomona.
Jack o' lanterns are a more recent addition to Halloween customs. The tradition of carving out a turnip or pumpkin, creating a frightening face and then illuminating it with a candle placed inside can be traced back to an 18th century Irish folk tale.
In the tale a character called Jack tricks the devil, before ending up being prevented from entering heaven or hell when he dies. Forced to walk the earth with nowhere to go for all eternity the devil takes pity on Jack and gives him a piece of coal. Jack places this inside a hollowed out turnip and uses it to light his way.
Another legend connects Jack o' lanterns to will o' the wisp, a term for strange lights seen hovering above peat bogs. A more mundane explanation is that Jack o' lantern was a name used to describe a nightwatchman carrying a light, although the connection to Halloween is unclear.
Halloween in America
Whereas Halloween was for centuries primarily a European festival Irish immigrants introduced it to America in the first half of the 19th century. Halloween is now a major event in America and is widely celebrated. Many of the European Halloween customs have been adopted, such as trick or treating and wearing scary costumes. People spend huge amounts of money decorating their homes. The selling of Halloween party decorations and fancy dress costumes has developed into a major business.
Although Halloween is now mostly celebrated as a secular festival it retains many ancient traditions from when it was a religious event. The Celts believed they were most at risk from evil spirits on October 31st, as summer ended and the dark days of winter began. Many centuries later people still associate Halloween with spirits and witches, making it the ideal night for telling particularly frightening ghost stories.
 |
 |
 |
