Ghosts, Witches, and Werewolves, Oh My!
Ireland is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. Halloween, at the time known as Samhain (summers end), was also believed to have begun in 4000BC making the tradition about 6000 years old.
Celtic tribes believed that one day a year the dead could rise and take the souls of the living. Priests from these tribes would gather together with an attempt to predict if their tribes would survive the winter. In order to confuse the spirits and preserve the people, they would light enormous bonfires and dress in animal skins, bones, and paints.
Pope Gregory the third swayed the tradition of samhain making it “All Hallows Eve,” a day honoring the saints rather than avoiding spirits. A saint is one known for great holiness and power. Europeans accepted this new tradition.
It was forgotten by the colonist who left Europe for the new world, only for a short time, however, because in the mid-19th century during a famine, a group of potato farmers started circulating samhain folklore.
Traditions began to change. Bonfires became pumpkin lanterns although the first of these lanterns were actually made from turnips. Disguises became costumes for parties celebrating what is now known as “Halloween”. Trick or Treating was believed to have stemmed from “Souling”, families going door to door praying for the dead in exchange for small cakes to eat.
Today, owls are a popular Halloween image. In medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owls call meant someone was about to die. The word “Witch” comes from the old English term meaning “Wise woman.” In popular folklore, witches were once highly respected elders in their towns.
The two main colors used in Halloween are orange and black. Orange symbolized strength and endurance, while the black was death that the people feared.
Over the course of time Samhain became Halloween. Bonfires to jack-O-lanterns, disguises to costumes. Halloween is a tradition with a grand history that has stood the test of time.
Thank you to History.com, the source of our information. Happy Halloween!
