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Halloween’s Haunting History
By Neil Peterson | October 31, 2009
Zombies and goblins and witches – oh my!
Although the end of October always signifies the beloved arrival of trick-or-treaters, costumed ghouls, and any number of classic (and not so-) horror films playing on television, our celebration of Halloween has a history that predates its current incarnation – by nearly 2,000 years. And while much of the impetus behind the holiday’s observance has been forgotten in our modern times, there are still vestiges of the old traditions in the customs we enjoy today. From the ancient harvest festival of Samhain to our candied and costumed All Hallows’ Eve, read on for a brief look at the ancient origins of this decidedly eerie holiday.
While most evidence of their existence has long since disappeared, the Celts were the first people believed to recognize the end of October as a time to join together in the name of things unseen. This ancient society based their celebration, Samhain, on the concept that on that day, the veil between this world and the next became thin, allowing spirits access to the mortal realm. During their ceremonies, they would offer food and animals as sacrifices to their gods, and in honor of their ancestors. But it was not only ancestors who would be able to travel between the worlds – harmful spirits could also pose a threat. To protect themselves, the Celts would don disguises of animal skins and masks to confuse the ghouls. Druid priests, the holy men of the time, would also light large bonfires, which served as a sacramental cleansing ritual – and the flames of which would light the hearth fire in each of the community’s homes.
The observance also served another purpose. With little understanding of the unpredictable power of the natural world, they instead looked for other methods to explain the things they could not control. On Samhain, Druids would practice divination – a practice they believed was made possible by the thinned connection to the other world. With their uncertainties over the hardships the coming winter would bring, these prophecies would offer hope and guidance for the populace in the long, dark months ahead.
The Romans eventually invaded the territory, and the Celt ritual of Samhain was adopted by the conquerors and correlated with their observance of two holy feasts. The first was Feralia, the Roman remembrance of the dead. The other was the annual offering to Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, as she was believed to be the deity of the harvest. Over time, Christianity would also influence the day’s ceremony as well, leading to the adoption (urged by Pope Boniface IV) of All Saints’ Day in honor of saints and martyrs. By marrying the ancient traditions with church-sanctioned observances, Boniface hoped to gain more power – and parishioners – for the church.
Despite it’s position as the country’s second largest commercial holiday, the American Halloween that we know today was not widely accepted until the 1900′s. Due to the influence of the Protestant church, the historic celebration was largely ignored, as some believed it to portray the occult in a manner unsuited to the religion’s teaching. Fortunately, with the flood of new immigrants that arrived in the mid-1800′s, the ancient festival enjoyed new popularity – only now the bonfires and sacrifices were replaced by the practice of donning costumes and going door to door asking for food or money. Whichever incarnation of this celebrated event you choose to observe – it might be wise to offer up a piece of Halloween candy for ancestors long gone but still remembered. Halloween is their day, after all. Now, go out, have fun and scare yourself silly.
Mysterious Mose
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