The history behind Halloween and why people celebrate it
You’d be forgiven for thinking Halloween was dreamt up by American confectionery companies, but that’s not the case. Find out where and why this spooky tradition is celebrated — the answer may surprise you.
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Halloween is celebrated annually on October 31 and over the years it’s become increasingly popular in Australia.
Although many people believe the spooky holiday is an American tradition, Halloween actually originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
The Celts, who mostly lived in western Europe, would light bonfires to scare off ghosts.
They believed this time of year was associated with human death as it was the beginning of winter.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a day to honour all saints.
The night before was known as All Hallows Eve and eventually the name was later changed to Halloween.
WHEN WAS HALLOWEEN FIRST CELEBRATED IN AMERICA?
American colonists were responsible for bringing Halloween to the United States in the 19th century.
This is because they primarily came from England where Samhain was celebrated.
Over time, the beliefs and customs of different ethnic groups started to merge, causing America to adopt their own version of Halloween.
WHY DO PEOPLE TRICK-OR-TREAT?
Trick-or-treating came from the belief that supernatural beings roamed the earth around October.
People believed that they needed to appease them with food and drink so locals left offerings outside their houses.
However over time, people begun to impersonate the spirits and received the offerings on their behalf.
WHY DO PEOPLE WEAR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES?
From the 16th century, the festival of Samhain celebrations included people going from house-to-house in a costume or creepy disguise.
This was believed to protect oneself from the souls of the dead.
Early costumes emphasised the dark and gothic nature of Halloween and were usually made at home.
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People used masks, makeup and other materials to create their costumes.
The most popular one’s were vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies and ghosts; however, over the years more people have been dressing up as pop culture figures like celebrities, athletes and presidents.