The History of Halloween

It's one of America's most beloved holidays but Halloween didn't start out with tricks and treats or scary costumes. Travel back in time to learn what some of the first ghostly celebrations were like. I can guarantee that they don't have anything to do with candy or superhero costumes. Halloween started around 2000 years ago when Celtic people would celebrate the end of the Harvest and the start of a new year. It was also a time to communicate with spirits and honor the dead. The Romans had conquered Celtic in 43 A.D they brought their own fall festivals and traditions with them. Fast forward a few centuries and even greater change occurred. Christian popes tried to influence the Celtic holiday and in 1000 A.D began infusing their traditional holidays like All Souls day (November 2), which was used for the living to commemorate the dead,and All Saints Day (November 1), which was celebrated the day before All Souls day. All Saints Day is the holiday that became known as All Hallows. Therefore, October 31st was called All Hallows Eve and would later be known as Halloween. Thanks to this cultural exchange, the holiday started taking off in the middle of the 19th century.

The Americanized version of Halloween started as a result of the immigration of Europeans in the 1800s. Due to the Potato Famine many Irish immigrants left their country and brought their customs with them.They popularized the holiday by introducing superstitions, customs, and even jack-o'-lanterns. In the 1950s the popularity of Halloween skyrocketed, today over 179 million Americans celebrate the holiday and have spent over 9 billion dollars per year. Halloween has always been a time for spooky stories trick or treating and Halloween parties but not many people know its real origins.

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