In true Mean Girls style, Halloween at university usually involves drunk house parties and cheeky outfits. The celebration, however, is also an excuse for students to act like children again. Whether it’s carving pumpkins or stuffing your face with sweets in front of a horror film, Halloween is always fun.
But why do we dress up in spooky costumes, or go trick-or-treating on Halloween? And where did this creepy, yet adored, celebration originate from?
Commonly misconceived as an American tradition, Halloween’s roots are, in fact, much closer to home than one might realise. In fact, Halloween’s roots can be found in the Celtic festival of Samhain. According to History, this festival was celebrated 2,000 years ago by Celts, who lived in what is now recognised as the UK, Ireland, and northern France. Celebrated on 1st November, Samhain, or ‘summer’s end’, signified the beginning of the harvest season.
On the night before the new year (1st November), Celts believed that the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became permeable. This meant that on the 31st of October, spirits could return to earth.
Celts believed that the presence of ghosts enabled Druids to make predictions about the future more easily, and visions were believed to be extremely important during this period. To commemorate the event, History says that huge sacred bonfires were built, and sacrifices were made to the Celtic gods. Costumes, such as animal skins, were worn while people endeavoured to tell each other’s fortunes. PBS says that ghoulish outfits were also worn as a disguise: people dressed like ghosts themselves in order to avoid attention from unwanted spirits. So, when you slip on your raunchy Halloween outfit this year, you have this creepy Celtic festival to thank.
After the Roman Empire vanquished the majority of Celtic territory, Roman festivals were combined with the celebration of Samhain. One of these festivals was called Feralia, which was a commemoration of the dead. The other festival was Pomona, which was named after, and in honour of, the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, and it is believed that apple bobbing – a popular Halloween tradition – roots back to this Roman festival.
According to History, Christianity had expanded into the Celtic regions by the 9th century. The Christian Church established 2nd November as All Souls’ Day, a day of remembrance for the deceased. Similarly to Samhain, All Souls’ Day was celebrated with bonfires, parades and dressing up in costumes. On top of this, the church declared 1st November as All Saints’ Day, a celebration dedicated to honouring saints. This celebration was commonly referred to as All-Hallows’ Day, occurring the day after the Celtic festival of Samhain. As such, Samhain began to be called All-Hallows Eve, and over time, it became more commonly known as Halloween.
Unlike the Celtics, who left food and drink outside their home to appease the spirits of their ancestors, PBS says that Christians baked soul cakes for the poor. As the tradition grew, beggars started to dress in clothes and beg for treats. In exchange for food or ale, they would either perform a song or promise to pray for the family’s deceased ancestors. Good Housekeeping refers to this practice as “mumming”, which is where trick-or-treating is believed to have originated from.
PBS claims that early settlers brought the ancient traditions of Samhain, Pomona, and All Saints’ Day to America. For example, 19th-century Irish immigrants brought over the tradition of pumpkin carving. Originally, potatoes and turnips were the vegetables of choice used to make lanterns, which families placed in household windows to welcome the spirits of their ancestors. Once this tradition was brought over to America, natives replaced these vegetables with the pumpkin.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, unmarried women would perform rituals on Halloween that originated from the Roman festival of Pomona. According to Good Housekeeping, women would throw apple peels over their shoulders, hoping to see their future husband’s initials in the shapes made by the peels. Apple bobbing competitions were also held for unmarried women, with the belief that the winner would be next to marry.
By the end of the 19th century, American communities were partaking in more secular celebrations that we would recognise today. History refers to these rituals as “play parties”, including public events held to celebrate harvest and stories of the dead being shared among the community. People would also dress up in costumes and go to houses asking for food, which eventually developed into the popular tradition of ‘trick-or-treating’.
By the early 20th century, History says that Halloween had transformed into a community-based holiday, with practices like ‘trick-or-treating’ growing in popularity. CNN claims that, once sugar rationing had ended after the war, candy manufacturers promoted their goods for Halloween, helping to cement its status as a national celebration.
According to The National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween consumer survey, it is estimated that this year’s Halloween expenditure will reach a record $12.2 billion in the United States. What’s even crazier is that $3.6 billion of this total is expected to be spent on sweets alone. So, let’s be grateful that, instead of throwing apples behind our shoulders in search of a man, we have cute costumes, wholesome traditions, and an unfathomable amount of sweets on Halloween!
