Halloween: From trick or treating to costumes, do you really know where these traditions come from?

As the leaves start to fall in the midst of the autumn season, people quickly switch their summer drinks for cinnamon lattes and warm beverages. Along with fallen leaves comes the spooky season, aka, Halloween. With the spooky holiday right around the corner, many of us are preparing our houses with carved pumpkins and haunting decorations. But do you know where this tradition originated from?

The tradition of the pagans

The date of October 31st has a plethora of history behind it. Halloween is actually a mix of three traditional events that used to occur on separate dates. The word Halloween came into existence when All Saints' Day, All Hallows' Day, and All Hallows' Eve were all combined and established on the 31st of October as Halloween in Christian history.

The concept of Halloween originated from the Celtic tradition of Samhain, during which the celebrators would dress up in ‘haunted’ attires to ward off the spirits and ghosts. The original pagan tradition was to dress up in ‘costume’ which would be the hide of an animal in medieval times, to scare away the ghosts.

The reason for such a ritual was because they believed that on the eve and the day of Halloween the veil between the worlds of living and dead is the thinnest. Hence, they performed the event to discourage them from entering their world.

They would also celebrate the occasions with dinner and carve out shapes in gourds which is the modern-day jack-o-lantern. However, as time passed the tradition became highly diluted with its true meaning being left behind.

Halloween changes with the time

The concept of trick or treat took root in medieval times when children would dress up as saints and would go door to door asking for ‘soul cakes’ which was a form of sweet treat. As time passed on, the tradition began to change and people started dressing as scary characters as a joke.

The tradition travelled from Europe to America as Scottish and Irish travellers started to settle down in the country. Although a lot more modernized than its original form, it was not accepted by many Americans at first. The event started spreading within small communities of immigrants where people would share haunting stories, played fortune-telling, danced and sang.

The tradition started to disperse slowly and steadily, and by the late 1800s, a good portion of America was involved in the celebrations of Halloween. What was an ancient tradition to ward off evil became a celebration and is now enjoyed by many across the world.

Sources used:

- History: Halloween 2022

-Country Living: What's the Origin of Halloween—and Why Do We Celebrate It on October 31?