Halloween is a time where people around the country dress up as superheroes, idols, mythical creatures and monsters. Children go door-to-door begging for candy to put in plastic jack-o’-lanterns. That’s fine, but where do the true origins of Halloween stem from? Sinclair Community College Professor Amanda Hayden provides a basic knowledge of the origins of All Hallows Eve.
“…It is a pagan/Old European holiday, called ‘The Witches’ New Year’ by modern pagans and Wiccans. It is believed to be a very sacred night, when the veil between the physical world and spiritual world is very thin – therefore aiding communication between them.
“It is a night to remember loved ones we have lost. A candle is lit to remember their departed spirit and prayers are said. This is where the jack-o’-lantern comes from – back in the day, old Celtic pagans would walk through the woods to meet and gather together with friends to celebrate this night and remember the departed. They’d carry candle flames in the night, but to protect the flames from the wind, they would carve out gourds to put the candle inside. Gourds eventually became pumpkins and eventually people started carving funny faces into them! Hence, our modern jack o lantern. So anytime you see a carved pumpkin, the original intent was that it symbolized a departed spirit.
“There are many different prayers and rituals done on this holiday. The witches’ hat, trick or treating and the broomstick all have historic origins.
“For example, trick or treating came about simply because on a night where the veil is thin and spirits may be roaming, not all spirits are ‘friendly’ and some sinister ones may even want to possess innocent human bystanders. To prevent this, old Celtic Europeans would dress up like a ‘ghost’ or ‘goblin’ to fool the ghosts into thinking they were one of them and they would be left alone. The treats were offerings left on doorsteps to appease any spirits passing by the house.
“This same sort of thinking can be seen in the gargoyles of the Notre Dame – it was believed during medieval times that evil spirits threatened the church, so the gargoyles were placed to ‘fool’ those spirits into thinking the place was already ‘taken.’”
So, if you’re taking your kids out to trick or treat, or you’re going to a Halloween party, just remember that it would be best to wear a costume to ward off the spirits.
Have a happy Halloween!