Halloween 2017: How Did This Favorite American Celebration Come Into Existence?
While Halloween is popularly celebrated in the United States, not so many people know that the holiday originated from Europe.
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend a total of $9 billion this year, including expenses on Halloween costumes, decorations, and candies for trick-or-treating. With the projected collective expenses of the American people for the Oct. 31 holiday, there is no denying that Halloween is, indeed, a popular celebration in this country.
However, not so many people know that Halloween is not a homegrown American tradition as it originated from the ancient Gaelic/Celtic Festival, the Samhain, which celebrated the end of the harvest season. As the ancient Gaels/Celts believed that the wall dividing the physical and spiritual world was thin, they would set up dinner tables for the spirits and light bonfires to ward off the evil ones so that their crops would not be damaged.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Halloween is not the celebration that it is known for today if participants did not wear costumes. However, this tradition, although highly commercialized these days, was also a part of the Samhain celebration. As the Gaels considered the Samhain as the time of year when spirits make their way to the physical world, they wore masks made of animal skins believing that they could trick the roaming spirits into thinking that they, too, were spirits and would spare them from harm.
The popular trick-or-treating Halloween tradition, on the other hand, is said to have started during the 16th century in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While trick-or-treating these days involve children knocking on strangers' doors asking for candies and goodies, the practice back then even had adults asking strangers for food in exchange for a poem or a song.
While the most popular symbol for Halloween is jack-o-lantern, the original is said to have actually been made from turnips, potatoes, or beets and was based on the Irish mythological character Stingy Jack. However, when the Scottish and Irish migrated to America with their Halloween traditions, they started making jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins as the vegetable fruit was locally grown.
Despite its pagan origins, Halloween these days is considered a secular event. In fact, according to reports, more Christians are embracing the celebration for fun. After all, Halloween is, indeed, a fun celebration, thanks to its evolution from its European origins.
