Halloween History

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The History of Halloween The word “Halloween” comes from All Hallows Eve, which occurs on November 1. The "All Hollows Day" or "All Saints Day". It is an important date on the Catholic calendar, a time to observe and honor saints. People believed that the souls of the dead come back to earth to visit their families or friends.

History Ctd… The tradition of dressing in costumes was started by the Celts of Ireland. They believed that everyone who died throughout the year would come back on October 31, the end of the Celtic summer, to possess the bodies of the living. The costumes and noisy parades were meant to frighten away these spirits.

Trick-or-Treating This tradition is thought to have started in 9th century Europe. It was a custom on All Souls Day (Nov. 2) for early Christians to walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes”, which were made of square pieces of bread with currants (berries). The more cakes the beggars received, the more prayers they promised to say for the dead relatives of the cake donors. People thought prayers would help souls get to heaven more quickly.

Jack O’Lantern’s Story The Jack O’Lantern is named after an Irishman who was named Jack. Jack was a notorious drunkard and trickster. One day he tricked Satan into climbing a tree. He trapped Satan in the tree by carving a Holy Cross into the trunk. Jack made a deal with the devil that he would let him down, if the devil promised never to tempt him again.

Jack O’Lantern Ctd… Because of Jack’s evil ways, he was not allowed into heaven when he died. The devil would not let him into hell, but gave Jack a single candle to light his way through the darkness. The flame was put inside a hollowed out turnip to keep it glowing. Turnips were used in Ireland instead of pumpkins. Immigrants to America found pumpkins more plentiful, so the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin.

Happy Halloween!!