Jeepers Creepers: A History of Halloween!

Now that it is October, the next holiday coming up that people are getting ready to celebrate is Halloween. People are starting to decorate their spaces, and talking about what costumes they're going to wear. As an anthropology major, it makes me wonder, what are the true origins of Halloween, and how did it become what we celebrate today.

Apparently, Halloween comes from an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in') in Ireland the United Kingdom, and Northern France. It was celebrated on October 31st, the night before their new year, November 1st, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, a time where people often died the most. It was believed that on October 31st that the boundary between the living and dead became blurred and that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

The Celts would have a celebration by huge bonfires that were built by the Druids (priests) where everyone would wear costumes made of animal heads and skins while attempting to tell each other's fortunes. Later on, when the customs of different European ethnic groups that emigrated and Native Americans came together, the American version of Halloween was born.

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Source(s): Halloween 2023.  (2009, November 18). https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween.