Halloween today is an occasion for carving pumpkins into menacing jack o'lanterns, dressing ourselves up in elaborate costumes and sending our children out into the streets to gather candy from strangers. Yes, it's great fun for all ages and it feels as American as, well, motherhood, apple pie, and capitalism, but where does this curious set of rituals come from and what does it all mean?
The tradition of Halloween dates back 2000 years to the Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means "end of summer". Observed in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and parts of France, the celebration marked the last harvest of summer and the beginning of the new year, November 1.
The Celts believed that on the eve of the new year, the spirit world collided with the world of the living, and spirits of the dead would come back to earth to in search of living bodies to possess. To discourage these ghosts and to avoid possession, the Celts donned frightening disguises and marched about noisily.
Beginning in the 5th century A.D., Christian traditions from the Roman empire slowly intermingled with those of the Celts.
In A.D. 800, Pope Boniface IV named Nov. 1 All Saints' Day or All-hallows, a day to honor saints and martyrs. The day before All-hallows was Samhain, which came to be called All-hallows Eve, and later, Halloween. In A.D. 1000, the church named Nov. 2 All Soul's Day in honor of the dead. These three holidays-All-hallows eve, All-hallows and All Souls'-were called Hallowmas. They were celebrated with bonfires, parades and costumes.
On All Souls' Day, the poor would beg for "soul cakes", a pastry-like bread with currants. In exchange for the cakes, the beggars prayed for the generous families' deceased relatives. The practice soon was adopted by the village children, who would "go a-souling" for various edible treats and money. Begging for soul cakes likely is the origin of trick-or-treating.
Halloween was imported to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants. Today, Halloween is America's second largest commercial holiday, with annual spending of $2.5 billion.