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Q.Halloween is coming up. Can you tell me about the history behind this holiday? The Celts, who lived in Britain A. and France, had a festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-win) that occurred on Oct. 31. Goblins, witches and other devils were believed to come out and pester the living by playing tricks on them. This is believed to be the beginning of Halloween.
In later years, Samhain was combined with the Roman festival Faralia, a day on which they honored and welcomed the spirits. They also brought gifts of apples and nuts to their goddess Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. Ever since that time apples, especially bobbing for apples, and nuts have been a part of Halloween. They also lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off the spirits. The word “bonfire” come from bone and fire. Animal bones were thrown into the fire to keep the ghosts and goblins away.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as Hallow or Holy Evening. Over the years, it changed to Hallows Evening, then Hallow E’en and now Halloween. (Roop)
The thing most associated with Halloween now is probably the jack-olantern, which has its roots in British Folklore. Jack was a fictional “trickster” and, in the lore, he tricked the Devil several times into getting what he wanted with no consequences to his soul or life. When he finally died, God refused to admit him to heaven and the Devil refused to admit him to hell. The Devil grudgingly tossed him a burning coal, which he put in a hollowed-out turnip as a lantern to light his way while he walked the earth in the dark. In Ireland the lantern is still often made of a turnip, but in later years the pumpkin was utilized. Jack is, according to the lore, still walking the earth until judgment day with his burning lantern. (Skal)
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out of Halloween celebrations. Because of these efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. Thus, a new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. (History.com)
The resources used for this column are noted below. To check out these and other books and websites about Halloween, visit the library!
• Borten, H., (1965). “Halloween.” Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
• History.com Editors. (2009, November 18). “Halloween 2021.” History.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/historyof-halloween#section_1.
• Roop, P., Roop, C., & Arnsteen, K. K. (1997). “Let’s celebrate Halloween.” Millbrook Press.
• Skal, D. J. (2005). “Death makes a holiday: A cultural history of Halloween.” Living Sacrifice Book Co.
Suzanne Sanders is the new columnist for the library. She is the Community Services Manager for the San Marcos Public Library and came from the Austin Public Library in 2015 after having served there as a librarian for over 20 years. She gratefully accepts your questions for this column.
