Valeria De Miguel Melo
Staff Writer
On every October 31st, children can be seen sporting costumes and asking for candy across the United States and many other countries around the globe. Candy, laughs, and excitement are shared throughout communities as groups of families and friends admire each other’s costumes and the Halloween decorations around their neighborhoods. But not me. I always found Halloween alluring and mysterious, but I was born and raised in Mexico, where Halloween isn’t very popular. Trick–or–treating in Mexico City was pointless because only about 5 people gave out candy in my neighborhood. Nevertheless, this only made me more curious about the holiday. Why is trick–or–treating a thing? Where did the costumes come from? Why is Halloween so beloved? Thus, the only thing left to do was to investigate. After some research, I realized the holiday didn’t even look like it does nowadays when it came to be. It was not created for an evening of fun with loved ones, coated with tons of sugar, and topped off with ghost stories. It began with the supernatural, and the fear of being among ghosts and spirits.
My first query was about how Halloween began. Turns out it started as a ritual to ward off spirits and was rooted in fear and a desire to keep crops healthy and safe. Around 2,000 years ago, the ancient tribe called the Celts (pronounced “Kelts”) lived in an area that consists of the modern United Kingdom. Their calendar marked November 1st as New Year, which also meant that the day represented the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. It was their belief that on the night of October 31, just before their new year began, the world of the living and the dead merged temporarily, boundaries crossing, lines blurring. This belief led them to celebrate Samhain (Pronounced “Sow-wen”) that very night. Ghosts were believed to go around damaging crops –which the Celts relied on deeply– and participate in mischief. It was customary for the Celts to wear animal skins to disguise themselves from the wicked spirits and to ward them off; this is where Halloween costumes come from.
During its transition to the celebration it is today, Halloween was completely altered in 43 A.D. after the Celtic lands were taken by the Roman empire. For around 500 years, the Celts were ruled by the Romans, and Samhain was merged with a festival from Roman culture: Feralia– a day to commemorate the deceased. The Romans wanted to eliminate the witchcraft surrounding the Celtic holiday, and turn it into a more Christian holiday, so the day was declared All Souls’ Day around 1000 A.D. All Souls’ Day was also named All-Hallowmas (rooted in old English Alholowmesse which meant All Soul’s Day) and this slowly became All-Hallow’s Eve, and finally, Halloween. This new version of the holiday was celebrated with huge bonfires, parades, and costumes of saints, devils, and angels. Moreover, trick–or–treating began with the poor in England during the 1500s; the poor offered prayers for the deceased in exchange for soul cakes. Even though the festivity didn’t remain Christian, it was actually prohibited in the English Colonies due to the English Protestant faith during England’s reign in the Americas. However, around the 1850s. Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine took refuge in the United States, bringing with them the All-Hallow’s Eve tradition.
Turns out Halloween in America brought with it lots of mischief, witchcraft, and pranks played on neighbors, which led to newspapers and community leaders to encourage parents to get rid of the “frightening” and “grotesque” aspects of Halloween and turn it into a spooky night to connect and have fun; thus, Halloween parties and the modern festivities came to be. Said parties focused on games, food and costumes, becoming ever more elaborate as time passed.
It is obvious that Halloween has completely transformed from a day of witchcraft to a nostalgic and meaningful holiday for people. There’s a beauty in the way it has morphed from a center of beliefs to a day that brings people together to have a good time. Having lived in the United States for two years now has definitely shown me that it’s a date to look forward to, and walking around my neighborhood with my family to pick the house with our favorite decorations has become a family tradition. I am also of the opinion that knowing more about the holiday makes you feel more partial towards it. And I must say I’m deeply thankful for all the twists and turns in Halloween’s history that have made it become what it is today. Its roots will forever be preserved by the telling of ghost tales and the imagining of supernatural creatures, but all that’s left to do is to see where this holiday goes, and count ourselves as part of its history.
demiv2@mail.broward.edu
photo courtesy of History.com