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Everyone loves to dress up and have fun at Halloween, but do you know where it all started? First the word itself, Halloween or Hallowe’en is merely a contraction of All Hallows evening or eve.
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Falling on October 31st each year it is the eve of the feast of All Saints (Hallows) day. The day has many Pagan and Celtic roots and was celebrated long before the Christians got involved. In Celtic belief, it comes from the celebration known as Samhain. This marks the end of the harvest and the entry into the “darker half” of the year.
It was believed to be a time when the door to the “Otherworld” opened, to allow souls of the dead entry into our world. It is therefore not difficult to see how the celebration gained its scary reputation.
The tradition started in Great Britain where children would go “souling”. They dressed in costumes and went from house to house saying prayers for the dead in return for cakes. The prayers were believed to help the souls leave purgatory and gain admission to heaven. Known in Scotland and Ireland as “guising” because of the costumes, or disguises, worn by children, the tradition of “trick-or-treating” developed into the international phenomenon that it is today.
The modern day version in America has a few surprising people to thank for its popularity. The Jack Benny Show and later Walt Disney both popularised it nationally in the 1950s. Since then it has grown across the Western world into the fun night that we all love. It is a far less sinister event today and is really just a good excuse for children to dress up, have fun and get rewards in return.
Once again the time is near to dress up and party!!!
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