List of 'History of Halloween'
The roots of the holiday are as such: Shortened in name from All-Hallow-Even, taking place on the evening of or before ‘All Hallows’ Day’, or ‘All Saints Day’, this prior Pagan holiday was a day of festivities in Northern Europe. Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV were responsible for allocating the Christian Feast of ‘All Saints Day’ from the dates of May 13 to November 1. The move was initiated in order to supplant the original Pagan feast with a Christian Feast Day. Because of the measuring of sunset to sunset, according to the Florentine Calendar, the days of ‘All Hallows’ and ‘All Saints’ were now the same day.
The Irish tradition of ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ is still respected and followed, and the terminology remains the same. Festivals that occur are referred to as ‘Samhain’ or ‘Oiche Shamhna’, to the Irish, ‘Samhuin’ to the Scottish/Gaelic, ‘Calan Gaeaf’ to the Welsh, ‘Allantide’ to the Cornish and ‘Hop-tu-Naa’ to the Manx. Some parts of Ireland also refer to Halloween as ‘pooky night’, using the mischievous spirit, ‘puca’ as a basis for the folklore.
Magic is considered most potent during Halloween, and it’s considered a liminal time of the year. Irish tales of the ‘Sidhe’ abound as well as tall tales throughout other cultures, and ‘witch lore’, tails of witches and hobgoblins abound throughout the world.
Trick or Treat’ night is a term used for Halloween, celebrated worldwide on October 31. Children traditionally dress in costume and go door to door in search of treats, and if denied the treats, according to legend, become little ‘beasts’ and then can use ‘tricks’ to get even with those that refuse to treat them.
Other traditions exist such as costume parties, hayrides, the visiting of haunted houses such as the celebrated house in Anoka, Minnesota, which is also known as the Halloween Capital of the World. In Anoka, the entire city is decorated, and individuals many times decorate their homes and properties. Parades are also held to further celebrate the holiday. These activities started in Anoka in 1920, to prevent the ‘trickery’, a.k.a. vandalism that occurs sometimes during Halloween.
Children that get the chance to enjoy such festivities and dress up repeatedly in glorious costume and who get to go door to door in supervised activities enjoy Halloween much more and of course, do not engage in the ‘trickery’ as often.
Another vibrant display of Halloween partying is the world-renowned New York Village Halloween Parade, which draws tens of thousands per year. Held in Greenwich Village and the roots of this parade are also far reaching. Halloween, began its mythology under the name of ’samhain.’ It was a Pagan festival among the Celtic peoples of Ireland and Great Britain. Irish and Scottish immigrants then transported versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th Century. Halloween now is totally accepted by Americans.
The holiday of Halloween is most common in United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Peru. Parts of Western Europe started celebrating Halloween recently. Increasing popularity of this holiday is evident in Australia and New Zealand.
As you can see, Halloween is historically rich yet filled with fun, games, and ingenuity. It doesn’t need to be expensive to enjoy yet there are myriad ways to enjoy it.
Remember, make your own costumes, visit places that are thrifty in price if purchasing, use your imagination when finding activities, do up your own parties and you’ll be good to go for each Halloween. Your children will build memories, you will build a repertoire for future activities and everyone will view you as the ‘Halloween Maven.’
