HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
October is the month that we celebrate Halloween – a festival marked by spooky costumes, trick-or-treating and eerie decorations
Though commonly associated with American culture, Halloween has its origins in ancient Celtic traditions from the British Isles. The modern celebration of Halloween is a mixture of ancient rituals, Christian traditions and popular culture. Understanding its British history provides insight into the origins of many of the traditions still observed, not only in the UK but around the world.
CELTIC ROOTS OF HALLOWEEN: SAMHAIN
The roots of Halloween lie in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-in’), which dates back over 2,000 years. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, often referred to as the ‘darker half’ of the year. The Celts, who lived primarily in what is now Ireland, Scotland, Wales and parts of England, believed that the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became thin on the night of 31st October which allowed spirits, both benign and malevolent, to cross over into the living world.
During Samhain, Celts would light bonfires to ward off evil spirits and wear animal skins and masks to disguise themselves from wandering souls. These customs formed the basis for many modern Halloween traditions, such as wearing costumes and lighting lanterns, originally through fear of malevolent spirits. The bonfires were also symbolic of warmth and safety, an attempt to stave off the looming winter darkness.
ROMAN AND CHRISTIAN INFLUENCES
The Roman Empire, which conquered much of the Celtic lands by the first century AD, brought with it its own set of traditions. Two Roman festivals, Feralia (which commemorated the dead) and Pomona (which celebrated the goddess of fruit and trees), were gradually incorporated into the Celtic festival of Samhain. Pomona’s symbol was the apple, which may have contributed to the tradition of apple bobbing, a popular Halloween game today.
With the spread of Christianity in the British Isles, the church sought to replace pagan festivals with Christian holidays. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the Christian feast of All Saints’ Day to 1st November, making 31st October the eve of this holy day, known as All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually became Halloween. All Saints’ Day honoured Christian saints and martyrs, while All Souls’ Day on 2nd November was dedicated to praying for the souls of the deceased. The celebration of All Hallows’ Eve incorporated many Samhain customs but within a Christian framework, shaping the Halloween we know today.
EARLY HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS
During the medieval period, Halloween customs in Britain began to take on a distinct form. Souling became a popular tradition in which the poor would go door to door, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food, especially soul cakes. This custom of begging for soul cakes is thought to be an early precursor to modern-day trick-or-treating. As people visited homes, they would carry lanterns made from hollowed-out turnips, which were sometimes carved with grotesque faces to ward off evil spirits, a practice that predated the use of pumpkins in America.
In some areas of Britain, particularly Scotland and Ireland, guising was a common practice. Guisers would dress in costumes and go from house to house, performing songs, poems or tricks in exchange for food or money. Guising likely evolved from the ancient tradition of wearing disguises to confuse spirits on Samhain. Today’s Halloween costumes are a direct descendant of this practice, though modern interpretations range from the scary to the silly.
DECLINE AND REVIVAL OF HALLOWEEN
Halloween traditions in Britain started to decline after the Reformation in the 16th century, as Protestantism spread and the focus on praying for the dead fell out of favour. However, Halloween customs survived in certain rural areas, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, where Celtic traditions remained strong. By the 19th century, as Irish and Scottish immigrants began to settle in America, they brought their Halloween customs with them. Over time, these traditions merged with other cultural practices in the US, leading to the creation of a more commercialised and widespread celebration of Halloween.
By the mid-20th century, Halloween had become a popular holiday in America, and the Americanised version spread to Britain. The influence of American pop culture, especially through television, movies and marketing, contributed to the revival of Halloween celebrations in the UK and modern Halloween in Britain is now characterised by costume parties, haunted house attractions and trick-or-treating, which had been largely forgotten until their reintroduction from across the Atlantic.
MODERN FESTIVITIES
Today, Halloween in the UK is a blend of ancient Celtic customs and modern Americanised traditions. Trick-or-treating, inspired by both souling and guising, has become popular among children, though it is a relatively recent development in Britain, gaining widespread popularity in the late 20th century. Costume parties are also a common feature of Halloween celebrations, and people often dress as witches, ghosts, skeletons, or popular fictional characters.
In addition to costumes and trick-or-treating, Halloween in the UK often includes apple bobbing, haunted attractions and spooky storytelling, evoking the eerie atmosphere of Samhain’s thin veil between the worlds of the living and the dead.
