Origins of Halloween
Halloween has been celebrated in one form or another for thousands of years. Halloween traditions and activities can be found in ancient Celtic/Gaelic and Catholic festivals. | | Halloween is considered to have some origins in ancient Pagan Celtic rituals, because it is believed to be a night when people would wear disguises to ward off evil spirits in order to prevent them from attacking their crops in the winter months. This ritual was called Samhain and would take place on the evening of 31st October. Samhain
Samhain is a Gaelic word which when translated signifies ‘end of summer’. The Samhain festivities would last for seven days, starting three days before Samhain and finishing three days afterwards. During this week there would be an array of games, amusements and feasting. The event would be attended by Druids as they were seen as advisors to kings, although there is no indication that any Druid ceremonies took place, and was an opportunity for soldiers to boast of the victories and conquests during previous battles before returning to their homelands. Samhain was also used as an opportunity for farmers to celebrate their harvests and prepare for a bountiful harvest the following year. |
All Saints Day
All Saints Day was a Catholic Church event which was celebrated on different days of the year depending on where in the world you lived. It was devised to pay homage to all the Catholic saints who didn’t already have their own day. During the 12th Century All Saints Day was moved to 1st November to fall in line with the European Catholic event and also so that it would form part of the All Souls day celebrations. All Souls day was celebrated on 2nd November and was another important event in the Christian calendar as this was a day when all the souls who lived in purgatory as a result of committing minor sins would be granted access to heaven. During the All Saints and All Souls proceedings families would collect money and carry out good deeds, and there would be torchlight processions and church bells ringing out at midnight. The name Halloween comes from the translation of All Saints day. The night before All Saints Day was often referred to as ‘All Hallows Even’ and in archaic English ‘hallows’ translates as saint, whilst ‘even’ translates as evening, this term was later shortened to ‘All Hallows eve’ and then eventually Halloween. | 
