History of Halloween

The Celts

18

About 2,000 years ago in the area of the world that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, lived a group of people called the Celts. The Celts' lives revolved around growing their food, and considered the end of the year to be the end of the harvest season.

The Duids

19

So, they celebrated New Year's Eve each year on October 31st with a festival called "Samhain," named after their Lord of the Dead (also known as the Lord of Darkness). Samhain was presided over by Celtic priests called Druids. To celebrate Samhain, the Druids built huge sacred bonfires around which the Celts gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to their ancient gods. During the celebration, the Celts dressed up in costumes consisting of animal heads and skins.

The Romans

43

The Celts eventually were conquered by the Romans, and by about the year 43 AD two Roman festivals were combined with the Celtic Samhain festival. The first Roman festival was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

Christianity

Oct 31, 800

By 800 AD, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holida.

Pope Boniface

Nov 1, 801

Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st as All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs.

Halloween

Oct 31, 2018

The combined and updated celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.