The history of Halloween

The history of Halloween

The first day of fall was just a few days ago so why not talk about the best part of it: Halloween! time of year is one of the most fun ways to celebrate fall as it has always been known for 2 things that are accepted on the day which normally aren’t on any other: eating endless candy and dressing up in costumes. These 2 traditions first began with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where bonfires were a popular occasion for people to get together and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. As the day first began with ways of celebrating it, such as these, it has evolved over the years.

First being observed in countries other than America, Halloween first made its appearance here in the second half of the nineteenth century. When new immigrants flooded our country, they brought the tradition of celebrating Halloween with them and this gave way to welcoming the spooky day to the United States. Americans then began to dressing up in costumes every year the day came around and they would go door to door asking for candy, food, or money. Soon being named, “trick-or-treating”, we are still taking after these very people, going all over town seeing who will be the first to fill their bag full. 

Along with dressing up and going trick-or-treating, many people take pride in the day with pumpkin carving. Pumpkin carving is another very popular tradition that originated from overseas, first beginning with the Irish. These were the first cultural group that started the carving, and as they did not have pumpkins available in their country they would use turnips instead. Placing ember inside the turnips, they saw this as a way to ward off evil spirits. Today, we are still carrying on this tradition but with a less serious meaning. Pumpkin carving continues to stand around as one of the most enjoyable ways families or individuals can spend Halloween, as they continue to carry on the tradition from many years ago. 

Halloween, now in 2019, still exist as one of the most widely celebrated days in our country. As you suit up in your favorite costume or get ready to binge eat on candy don’t forget you are still living out the legacy of history’s first day observed for horror. October 31st is going to sneak up on us sooner than we may expect, so get ready to creep it real on the spookiest day of the year.