The celebration of Halloween has roots traced to over 2,000 years, when the Celts of England and Ireland celebrated Sahmain, the traditional end to the harvest. It was a time when Celtic pagans would slaughter livestock and store it for the dark winter months ahead.
Celts Believed Dead Walked The Earth On Halloween
The dark, winter months would often bring death to the population and the ancient Celts believed that the last day of the year, October 31st, was when the boundary between the Earth and spirit worlds was at its thinnest. They therefore believed that the ghosts of the dead would return to the Earth on that night and wreak havoc on the Earth by destroying crops and bringing sickness to the living.
To combat this, the Celts would light bonfires and throw the bones of slaughtered livestock into the flames. The tradition of dressing up at Halloween also started with Celtic pagans as they attempted to impersonate the dead by wearing black masks or by blackening their faces to appease the spirits.
The Story Of The Jack O’Lantern
Carving pumpkins for Halloween is a tradition that stretches back over the centuries. The tradition for carving a pumpkin came from an Irish legend about Stingy Jack, who was a drunkard and a deceiver. The devil had heard about Jack’s ways and had travelled to Ireland to find him. One Halloween night, Jack encountered the devil and realised that it was his time but managed to convince the devil to have a final drink with him. The devil agreed and Jack drank heartily but then asked the devil to pay by turning himself into a silver coin. The devil was impressed by Jack’s nefarious ways and agreed. Jack then placed the coin in his pocket beside a silver crucifix and refused to release him until the devil agreed to spare his soul for another ten years.
After ten years, Jack encountered the devil for a second time. As the devil prepared to take him into hell, jack asked for an apple from a nearby tree before he departed the earth. The devil foolishly agreed again and climbed the branches while Jack surrounded the tree with silver crucifixes. Jack refused to let the devil down until he agreed that he would never take Jack’s soul to hell. The devil agreed and was released.
Jack eventually died and his soul went to Heaven but, after leading a life of deceit and sinful behaviour, he was denied access into Heaven. So Jack’s soul instead went down to Hell and he came face to face with the devil for a third time. This time the devil had the last laugh as he told Jack he could not take his soul into Hell due to the agreement they had made while the devil was trapped in the tree. Jack asked the devil how he could see in the dark and the devil threw him a burning ember from Hell. Jack carved out a turnip and placed the ember inside and from that day until the end of time, Jack walks between the boundaries of good and evil with the turnip and burning ember inside.
The Tradition Of Trick Or Treat
Trick or Treat is a tradition that sees children dressing up and knocking on neighbour’s doors asking for a treat or risk having a trick played on them, but the tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when Souling was widely practiced. This would involve the poor walking from door to door on Hallowmas receiving food in return for prayers on All Saints Day on November 2nd.
Although this was widely practiced, others have come up with a different explanation for Trick or Treating. It is said that when the boundary between the two worlds thin, spirits who enter our world take possession of children who then go out Trick or Treating. If a treat is received, the spirit is happy but should a home owner not give a treat, their home will be haunted until the following Halloween.
Halloween In Present Day England
Up until the early 1990’s, Halloween was barely recognised with youngsters preferring to celebrate Guy Fawkes and bonfire night. In recent years however, the celebration has grown in popularity. At first, it was seen as an unwanted and unnecessary import from America but, with the ever growing merchandise available, Halloween has become one of the most popular events on the British calendar.
