Although widely celebrated around the world as a fun, costume-filled, candy eating holiday, the culture and traditions around Halloween have much deeper roots that go back all the way to Celtic pagan times. The word Halloween originally comes from the term ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ which literally meant ‘hallowed evening’. All Hallows’ Eve which is on October 31 and All Saints’ Day which is on November 1st both paid homage to saints.

Halloween is both a secular and religious holiday celebrated almost all around the world on October 31st. But thats not when it was originally celebrated. Back in the day, All Hallow’s Eve was actually known to be on May 31st. But sometime during the 7th century, the then pope of the Christian Church, Pope Boniface IV, gave the order to change it to coincide with the ancient pagan Gaelic festival of Samhain.

History of Halloween

Samhain, which is the Gaelic festival associate with the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, is said to have originated in Ireland, Scotland and along the Island of Man. It marked a time of year when seasons changed and the world prepared for the darker season. Cattle were brought back in from grazing pastures, animals were butchered as their meat was prepared for the long hard winter. Ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, taking place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered.

Celts also believed that this was a time in the year where the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead were especially thin enabling them to connect with spirits. As a result, there were many ritualistic ceremonies to connect to spirits during Samhain. Many believed that the Celts dressed up in ghostly costumes and prepared special feasts and made lanterns with gourds, a common crop this time of the year. They would hold a feast, setting a place for any deceased relatives, as they were believed to visit home on this day. Mean spirits entered the earthly realm as well. People would dress in costume in order to confuse these spirits.

Over time, as the Christianity spread and took over All Hallows Eve, some elements like praying for the dead got lost and others like decorating with pumpkins and gourds remained.

Traditions of Halloween

Today Halloween is a fun festival celebrate by children and adults alike. It is customary to dress up – either elaborate costumes of popular figures as well as ghoulish characters and go house to house performing tricks and collecting treats. Of course, for adults, it is a chance to party and have a fun evening with friends. People also carve out pumpkins and gourds following the ancient pagan tradition of using it as a lantern. But today carved pumpkins are used as a decoration and a fun activity to do with children. Making and eating candied apples is popular. Apples are harvested right before Halloween. Irish-Americans may eat a type of fruit cake containing a coin. Those who received the piece with the coin were given good luck for the rest of the year.

International celebrations of Halloween

As the popularity of Halloween increases, there are many countries that celebrate this festival with their own rituals and customs added in.

China
The Chinese celebrate the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, or Yulan festival on September 2nd. They believe that on this day, their dead ancestors come up to earth from the lower realm where they live. Ritualistic food offerings are prepared, incense is burnt and paper mâché in the form of clothes, gold and other gifts are burnt as an offering to the visiting spirts. Elaborate meals are served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. Rather than trying to hide from and disguise themselves in order to ward off evil spirits, the Chinese give them gifts in order to give them enough comfort to retreat back where they came from.

Ireland And Scotland
Halloween is popular in Ireland going back to the original Celtic roots with the festival of Samhain. The Irish light bonfires just as ancient pagan festivals would. They decorate their homes with turnips, candles, and carved pumpkins. Barmbrack, an Irish fruitcake that contains coins, buttons, and rings for fortunetelling is also served. The Scotts also light bonfires and play games where a person must be blindfolded before attempting to eat a piece of pastry hanging from a string.

Japan
Obon or Bon festival is a Buddhist holiday that honors the spirits of dead ancestors of the observer. It is typically celebrated in early August and involves outdoor festivals, grave visits and grave cleaning. The Japanese will also light lanterns as a way to guide the sprints as they return back to the underworld.

Mexico

Since pre-Columbian times many Mexican cities and towns honor their dead relatives through fascinating rituals like the famous Day Of The Dead festival also know as Dia De Los Muertos. It is typically held in the end of October through early November over a three-day period in central and southern Mexico.

Nigeria

The Awuru Odo Festival marks the return of dearly departed friends and family members back to the living. It is held biannually, starting sometime in September or October and ends in April with a big celebration as people are sad to see the sprints depart. The holiday is celebrated with feasts, music, and masks before the dead return to the spirit world.

India

Pitru Paksha is a religious ceremony that is observed among the Hindus in India for about 16 days in the Fall based. Hindus believe that when a person dies, the Hindu god of death takes his or her soul to purgatory, where they’ll find their last three generations of a family. During Pitru Paksha, the souls are briefly allowed to return to Earth and be with their families. In order to ensure their family’s place in the afterlife, Hindus perform the ritual of Shraddha, a fire ritual. If  Shraddha isn’t performed, they believe that the soul will wander the Earth for eternity.

Poland

Dzien Zaduszny is a festival celebrated in Poland in early November where people across the country visit the graves of their family members to pay their homage. The holiday is celebrated with candles, flowers, and an offering of prayers for departed relatives. On the second day, people attend mass for the souls of the dead.

Cambodia

Pchum Ben is a religious festival that is celebrated from the end of September to the middle of October. Buddhist families gather together to celebrate the dead. People give foods like sweet sticky rice and beans wrapped in banana leaves, and visit temples to offer up baskets of flowers as a way to pay respect to their deceased ancestors.As we can see, so many places around the world have similar traditions and customs this time of the year. Except for a few difference in how they are celebrated, the underlining theme of celebration is the same. No matter whether you celebrate Halloween or not, in keeping with the sprit of the tradition, this is a great time of the year to remember your ancestors and family members who have departed.

What are some of your Halloween traditions?

Related Reading