The History of Halloween By: Staff Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Halloween? stories, fortune-telling and dancing around large How did a holiday where people dress up in costumes bonfires. and go from house to house asking for candy come about? The tradition of “trick-or-treating” actually originated in Europe. People would dress up as saints and go Halloween has been around for centuries. According door-to-door reciting songs or bible verses in exchange to www.history.com, “the tradition originated with for food and drink. Europeans brought this tradition the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain [pronounced of dressing up and performing in the streets to sow-in], when people would light bonfires and North America, and it quickly became problematic. wear costumes to ward off ghosts.” It was a day that According to www.farmersalmanac.com, “Youngsters marked the end of the summer and harvest seasons, used Halloween as an opportunity to prank people, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts and those pranks were often destructive, causing celebrated Samhain on the night of October 31, when expensive property damage. It was right around the it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to Great Depression that these activities became known earth. as trick-or-treating.” Children would go to a house and give the homeowners a choice: trick or treat. Since no one wanted to be pranked, candy and other sweet treats were handed out. These treats could be anything from homemade popcorn balls to peppermints or lemon drops. During World War II, trick-or-treating became The evening before All Saints Day became known as less common due to sugar rationing. However, after All Hallow's Eve, and according to www.countryliving. the war, the tradition came roaring back and now it is com, “The name was eventually shortened to impossible to imagine a Halloween without flocks of ‘Halloween,’ which we know and love to this day.” costumed kids going door-to-door asking for candy. Time went on and Halloween eventually made its way to America. As the beliefs of different European ethnic groups and Native Americans meshed, the distinct American version of Halloween began to emerge. Colonial festivities included telling ghost
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Around the same time period, Halloween became a community-centered holiday. Halloween parties became a regular occurrence, with town-wide costume parties becoming an annual form of entertainment. By the early 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited
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Later on in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a day to honor all saints. All Saints Day became an annual celebration, and eventually incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.
