Every October 31 Halloween is recognized with a variety of traditions and festivities, many of them dating back at least a few millennia. Two thousand years ago, the ancient Celts celebrated their new year on November 1 marking the end of the warmer, harvest months and the beginning of the cold, dark winter.
Winter was the time of the year often associated with death and dying. The Celts celebrated Samhain, a grand festival, on October 31, the night before the new year when it was believed the dead came back in the form of ghosts and spirits.
Costumes were worn during Samhain when enormous bonfires were built for making sacrifices to Celtic deities who were thought to be able to foretell the future on this night when the worlds between the living and the dead become one. The costumes and bonfires also served the important purpose of warding off any malevolent ghosts roaming the earth waiting to cause mischief and mayhem.A few hundred years later after the land of the Celts was taken by the Romans, the two cultures combined incorporating each others’ traditions to create an evening commemorating the passing of the dead while celebrating life.
The traditions of the holiday were eventually brought to American by immigrants from Europe, however, because of religious beliefs; the celebration of Halloween was almost nonexistent during colonial times. Before long, traditions from a host of ethnic groups including the American Indians influenced Halloween until it began to resemble the holiday we know and celebrate today.
Near the turn of the twentieth century, America saw even more immigrants including the Irish who brought with them the tradition of “trick-or-treating”. People would dress in costume going door to door asking for food or money in exchange for not having a trick played on them.
Although the holiday has come a long way since its ancient start, there are still many superstitions leftover full of magic, mystery, and intrigue. In addition to dressing up in colorful costumes, parties, parades, and festivals are still held along with the telling of ghost stories from centuries ago.