The History of Halloween

Halloween is one of the oldest known holidays with it's origins going back thousands of years and has been influenced by many cultures over time.

Hundreds of years ago in what is now known as Great Britain and Northern France the Celtic culture worshipped nature and had many gods, with the sun god as their main deity. It was their sun god who commanded work and rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.

The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st every year with a festival marking the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold." On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter, the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids, who were the priests of the Celtic culture, would meet on the hilltop in the dark oak forest and would light new fires offering sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin. When the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits. The November 1st festival was called Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") and would last for 3 days. Many people would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of their animals. This festival would become the first Halloween.

During the first century the Romans invaded Britain and brought with them many of their festivals and customs. One was known as Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens, and celebrated around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the two holidays, the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day, were united becoming one major fall holiday.

Next came the spread of Christianity throughout Europe and Britain, once again having an influence on this holiday. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church made November 1st a church holiday to honor all saints. This day was known as All Saint's Day, Hallowmas or All Hallows. Years later the Church would make November 2nd a holy day honoring the dead and calling it All Souls Day. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades and people dressing up as saints, angels or devils.

The spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs however, so on the eve of All Hallows (October 31) people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays became mixed into one. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then our modern day holiday Halloween. Today Halloween includes all of these influences... Pomona Day's harvest, Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death as well as the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day.

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