From Samhain To All Saints’ Day: The Spooky History Of Halloween


Halloween has become the second-biggest decorating holiday in the U.S., and it’s also attracted a lot of controversy this year due to concerns about culturally-insensitive costumes. What many people may not realize, though, is that this annual candy fest actually traces its origins back several centuries to the pagan holiday Samhain (pronounced SOW-in).

Ancient Pagans celebrated Samhain in many ways, including a communal feast meant to honor their deceased loved ones. This tradition continues with the modern All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1. Interestingly, Samhain started after dark on October 31 each year, and the celebration of life and death continued well into the next day.

Why Do We Dress Up for Halloween?

The New York Post opined this year that adults should stop dressing up for Halloween. Aside from being a buzzkill, this approach to Halloween fails to honor its oldest roots. During Samhain, everyone in the village would dress up before heading out to the annual feast. This was done for two reasons; first, it enabled them to honor their dead. Secondly, it was believed that dressing as the dead would trick malevolent spirits into leaving them alone. We may no longer have these superstitious reasons for dressing up, but wearing a Halloween costume is a link to humankind’s past.

[Image by Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock]

How Did Trick-Or-Treating Start?

Pagans of all ages often went door-to-door to look for bonfire kindling. Poor Pagans would also sometimes send their children begging for food. In order to get attention, it was common to sing while approaching a new house. The phrase “trick-or-treat” evolved out of this practice many centuries later. Asking for candy in exchange for positive behavior is believed to have begun in Canada in the late 1920s.

Bonfires, Apple Bobbing, And Getting Drunk Are Samhain Traditions

It’s fall, which means most people will soon go to a bonfire where they might even tell ghost stories. This habit started with the ancient Pagans who lit a massive bonfire every year for their Samhain festival. It was common for an entire village to share the same bonfire.

1833 Painting showing apple bobbing. [Image by Daniel Maclise| Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain]

Apple bobbing is yet another piece of Halloween and fall time fun that began centuries ago. Today, people use apple bobbing as a game, but to early Pagans, it was a divination tool. Once the apple was retrieved, girls would skin it in an effort to find out the first letter of their future husband’s name. Apparently, tossing the intact skin of an apple will allow the skin to take the shape of a letter.

Do you use Halloween as more of an excuse to party? You’re not alone. Pagans spent Samhain night drinking copious amounts of alcohol. In fact, evidence has been uncovered that huge brewing cauldrons were used for Samhain. Since no accompanying storage containers have been found by archeologists, it’s theorized that Pagans drank everything in one night.

Why Do We Have Ghosts And Devils As Decor?

On Samhain, the veil between the living and the dead was supposedly lifted, meaning spirits, demons, and even the devil could walk freely with humans. Those who wanted to harness this power went to graveyards because it was believed they could learn the future or invoke the devil to do their bidding on this one day per year. This spooky history is still honored in modern Halloween decorations.

Knowing the origin of Halloween and All Saints’ Day makes it easier to understand why so many people keep numerous Samhain traditions alive, even if they aren’t fully aware of it themselves.

[Featured Image by Maya Kruchankova/Shutterstock]

Share this article: From Samhain To All Saints’ Day: The Spooky History Of Halloween
More from Inquisitr