Assignment 5-1 Where Did Halloween Come From?

Halloween dates back more than 2000 years. The story of Halloween originated in England, Ireland, and France and is one of the “most widely celebrated days in the world” (Rakoczy, n.d.). We celebrate Halloween on October 31^st because it was thought to be the end of the summer and beginning of the new year. The new year was celebrated to honor the dead. “It was believed that on this night, the separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead was the thinnest and that the ghosts of the dead could roam the Earth in search of a body to possess” (Rakoczy, n.d.). So people would wear costumes to scare off these evil spirits and use lanterns to light their homes. They would parade around causing chaos to scare away the evil spirits. It is believed that in “the mid 1900s jokes and pranks during Halloween, which started out as harmless fun, eventually became rough and rowdy” (Rakoczy, n.d.). This led to bribing children with candy to get them to behave, which then brought the phrase “trick or treating”. Another belief of trick or treating comes from the European custom of All Souls Day where people “would go from house to house asking for soul cakes” (Scottsbluff, 2010). It was thought that soul cakes would release friends and family members from purgatory. Around the early 1800s immigrants brought their beliefs and customs to the United States and are why we celebrate Halloween today. (Rakoczy, n.d.).

(Brown, 2010)

Halloween Rituals

·         Costumes: To scare away evil spirits.

·         Ghosts: Believed to be the dead of the previous year that roam around on October 31^st to possess a body for the new year.

·         Trick or treating: Going house to house to beg for soul cakes to release their loved ones. Nowadays, we go around door to door trick or treating for candy.

·         Pumpkin Carving: In Ireland, they would carve turnips to honor the dead which led to carving pumpkins because they were larger.

·         Colors of Halloween: Black stands for death and orange for the harvest.

·         Witches and Black Cats: From the medieval times, they thought witches could magically turn into black cats.

Halloween may have been brought about by evil rituals, but today it is just another holiday enjoyed by children all over the world. It’s also a way for candy makers to sell millions in candy sales, can’t forget about that part of every holiday advertised here in our country.

Brown, N. (2010). Free Pumpkin Carving Templates, Jack O Lantern Templates, Stencils & Ideas. Retrieved on October 30, 2010 from http://todaynewsonline.com/free-pumpkin-carving-templates-jack-o-lantern-templates-stencils-ideas/229119/.

Rakoczy, C. (n.d.). Your Dictionary: Where Did Halloween Come From? Retrieved on October 30, 2010 from http://answers.yourdictionary.com/history/holidays/where-did-halloween-come-from.html.

Scottsbluff. (2010). A Brief History of Halloween. Retrieved on October 30, 2010 from http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7180075-a-brief-history-of-halloween.