31/10/2026
You all know how we love our useless facts at LDE so here's the origin of Halloween before you all head off out trick or treating. 👀😬
We have even more of a reason to stay in now. I'm not letting those spirits get me! 🏃🏽👻
Halloween originated over 2,000 years ago as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man to mark the end of the harvest and the start of the new year on November 1.
The Celtic Roots (Samhain)
• Thinning of the Veil: The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between the living and the spirit world blurred, allowing ghosts and souls of the dead to return to Earth.
• Ward Off Spirits: People lit large sacred bonfires, wore animal skins and masks to disguise themselves from wandering or malicious spirits, and left out food offerings.
Christian Influence and "All Hallows' Eve"
• All Saints' Day: In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the Christian feast of All Saints' Day (All Hallows') to November 1 to honor saints and martyrs, later followed by All Souls' Day on November 2.
• Name Origin: The evening before All Hallows' Day became known as All Hallows' Eve, which eventually contracted into Halloween.
• Blending Traditions: Over the Middle Ages, church observances merged with older folk customs, including medieval British and Irish practices like "souling" (going door-to-door for food or soul cakes in exchange for prayers) and "guising" (wearing costumes).
Evolution in North America
• Irish and Scottish Immigration: 19th-century Irish and Scottish immigrants—particularly fleeing the Great Famine—brought these holiday customs to North America.
• Jack-o'-Lanterns and Trick-or-Treating: Traditional Irish carvings of scary faces into turnips or potatoes transformed into carving native American pumpkins. Over the 20th century, these blended traditions evolved into the commercialized, community-focused holiday celebrated today.
