- Contraction of:
- All Hallowsâ Eve
Halloween
What is Halloween?
When is Halloween?
Did Halloween originate in Christianity?
Is Halloween a federal holiday in the United States?
Where did Halloween come from?
How is Halloween celebrated?
How did Halloween become popular in the United States?
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Halloween, a holiday observed annually on October 31 and noted for its pagan origins and its Christian roots as well as its secular traditions. In much of Europe and most of North America, observance of Halloween is today largely nonreligious, celebrated with parties, spooky costumes, pumpkin carvings called jack-oâ-lanterns, and trick or treat. Halloween also marks the beginning of Allhallowtide, a Christian triduum (Latin: âperiod of three daysâ) dedicated to remembering the dead that begins with All Hallowsâ Eve (October 31) and is followed by All Hallowsâ, or All Saintsâ, Day (November 1) and All Soulsâ Day (November 2).
Connection to Samhain
Halloween is believed to have connections to the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Ireland. On the day roughly corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars, the new year was believed to begin. This date was considered the beginning of the winter period, when livestock were brought in from pasture and land tenures were renewed. It was a common belief that, on the eve of Samhain, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred, and spirits could roam on earth. It was held that the souls of those who had died returned to visit their homes and those who had died during the year journeyed to the otherworld.
People set bonfires on hilltops to relight their hearth fires for the winter and possibly to frighten away evil spirits. People sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by ghosts believed to be present. In such ways, witches, hobgoblins, fairies, demons, and the like may have come to be associated with the day. The Samhain period was deemed favorable for divination on matters such as marriage, health, and death. According to some accounts, when the Romans conquered the Celts of Britain in the 1st century ce, they brought their own festival of Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and traditions related to Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees and orchards.
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All Saintsâ Day
The name Halloween derives from All Hallowsâ Eve, meaning the evening before All Hallowsâ (All Saintsâ) Day.
All Saintsâ Day commemorates all the saints of the Christian church, both known and unknown, who are believed to have been received directly into heaven after their death. There are various accounts of its origins. In the 7th century ce Pope Boniface IV established All Saintsâ Day, originally on May 13. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III moved the annual feast to November 1, perhaps in part to supplant pagan holidays with a Christian observance. The day after All Saintsâ, November 2, was later designated as All Soulsâ Day, devoted to praying for the souls of all the faithful departed.
In some areas people lit candles or lanterns on graves or in windows on All Hallowsâ Eve to guide souls. The very act of remembering the dead with prayers and light helped shape Halloweenâs focus on ghosts and spirits. In most Catholic-majority countries, All Saintsâ and All Soulsâ remain important religious holidays. For instance, in many parts of Europe and Latin America, on November 1â2 many people visit cemeteries and pay respects to their deceased relatives. A popular example of a non-Christian holiday being moved to coincide with Christian holidays is Mexicoâs DĂa de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). During this festival, from October 31 through November 2, families build altars (ofrendas) adorned with flowers, candles, food, and photos to invite the spirits of dead loved ones to visit. Although distinct from Halloween, DĂa de los Muertos reflects similar themes of honoring the dead with feasting and candles.
Halloween as a secular holiday
Although Halloween has religious roots, by the end of the Middle Ages the secular and the sacred days of All Hallowsâ Eve and All Saintsâ Day had merged. The Reformation essentially put an end to the religious holiday among Protestants, although, in Britain especially, Halloween continued to be celebrated, now as a secular holiday. Along with other festivities, the celebration of Halloween was largely forbidden among the early American colonists, although in the 1800s there developed festivals that marked the harvest and incorporated elements of Halloween. When large numbers of immigrants, including those from Ireland, came to the United States beginning in the mid-19th century, they brought their Halloween customs with them, and in the 20th century Halloween became one of the principal American holidays, particularly among children.
Traditions and superstitions
Over the centuries, Halloween has accumulated various traditions, superstitions, and symbols. Many of these are believed to have medieval Christian, and possibly pre-Christian Irish, roots.
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Since the mid-20th century the United Nations Childrenâs Fund (UNICEF) has encouraged children to turn Halloween into a day for global good through its Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, the longest-running youth engagement campaign in the United States. The tradition began in 1947, when a teacher and her husband living in Philadelphia asked neighborhood children to collect spare change for UNICEF instead of candy. The idea spread quickly, and soon trick-or-treating children across the United States were carrying small orange boxes to collect donations that help provide food, medicine, and education for children in need around the world.
The jack-oâ-lantern and the legend of Stingy Jack
A popular symbol associated with Halloween is the jack-oâ-lantern, which is a hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved into it and a candle lit inside. The practice originated in the British Isles, where people used large turnips or other vegetables rather than pumpkins. In Irish folklore, the jack-oâ-lantern is associated with the tale of Stingy Jack, a man who tricks the Devil for monetary gain. According to the tale, Jack invites the Devil for a drink and persuades him to turn into a coin to pay the bill. When the Devil turns into a coin, Jack quickly places it in his pocket beside a silver cross, which prevents the Devil from escaping. The Devil is freed only after he promises not to bother Jack for a year or claim his soul after death. A year later Jack tricks the Devil againâthis time persuading him to climb a tree for fruit while Jack carves a cross on the trunk to trap him. Jack releases him only after extracting a 10-year reprieve. When Jack dies, neither heaven nor hell accepts him. Condemned to wander in darkness, he is given a glowing coal to light his way, which he places inside a hollowed-out turnip. His wandering spirit came to be known as Jack of the Lantern, or Jack OâLantern. Thus, the carving of turnipsâand, later, pumpkinsâwas believed to aid people in guiding or warding off wandering spirits.
Halloween costumes and masks
Dressing up in costumes and masks is a Halloween tradition that may go back to both ancient Irish and medieval practices. During Samhain, people may have worn animal skins or disguises to confuse or hide from the spirits of the dead, which were supposedly believed to roam the earth on that night. This idea of donning a costume to ward off or blend in with otherworldly beings may have inspired the modern practice. The options for Halloween costumes have expanded to include not only scary characters but also superheroes, celebrities, and more. Along with these, the holiday has incorporated scary beings such as ghosts, witches, and vampires into the celebration.
Trick or treat
Trick or treat is the practice of pulling usually harmless pranks if treats are not given. Celebrants wear masks and costumes for parties and for trick or treat, a ritual thought to have derived from the British practice of allowing the poor to beg for food called âsoul cakes.â Trick-or-treaters go from house to house with the threat that they will pull a trick if they do not receive a treat, usually candy. According to Scottish accounts, this practice evolved from All Saintsâ Day, when children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers for the dead. Later, when the festival became secular, this practice of prayers for the dead was replaced by tricks, songs, and jokes. Before there was trick or treat as we know it today, there was mumming. It was an early form of Irish trick or treat, in which celebrants dressed as spirits performed silly acts in exchange for food and drink.
Bobbing for apples
Halloween parties often include games such as bobbing for apples, perhaps derived from Roman traditions related to Pomona. In this game, apples float in a tub or other container of water, and players try to catch one with their teeth, without using their hands.
Cats and bats
Among the most popular animals associated with Halloween, black cats have perhaps the most notorious reputation. One of the most retold Halloween superstitions warns against letting a black cat cross oneâs path. This belief dates back to medieval Europe, when folklore held that witches or even the Devil could be disguised as black cats. People started believing that bad luck would befall them if a black cat ran across their path. This notion traveled to North America with European colonists and cemented black catsâ spooky reputation. However, not all cultures have shared this fear. In ancient Egypt cats (including black ones) were sacred to the goddess Bastet, and in such places as Scotland and Japan, a black cat can actually symbolize good fortune and prosperity. But on Halloween many people still avoid a black catâs path.
(Read Britannicaâs article âWhy Are Black Cats Unlucky?â).
According to European folklore, bats were considered the messengers between witches and the Devil. They are also considered harbingers of death in many cultures. Seeing a bat on Halloween, when spirits were thought to roam freely, was considered a bad omen. According to some tales, if a bat flies around a house three times, it is considered an omen of death in that household. These eerie beliefs about bats as messengers of death have persisted, making them another classic source of Halloween jitters.
See also the Britannica Classic article on Halloween, which appeared in the 13th edition of the EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica.