Halloween is celebrated in many ways and for many reasons all around the world. Halloween is also addressed in many different ways, such as All Saints Day, All Hallows Eve, and even the Day of the Dead.
One of Halloween’s origins dates back to the Celtic Festival of Samhain. Two-thousand years ago the Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st, which was the end of summer, but the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on New Year’s Eve, the separation between the worlds of the living and dead, became non-existent. October 31st they celebrate the Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead return to earth. These ghosts were believed to cause trouble, destroy crops, and even helped the Druids make predictions about the future. During this …show more content…
Around 43 A.D. the Roman Empire had taken over most of the Celtic territory. In effect, two of the roman festivals were added to Samhain. One being Feralia, when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pamona, Roman Goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pamona being an apple, is where the tradition bobbing for apples comes from. Years later, in the second half of the 19th century, America was filled with new immigrants. This helped popularize the celebration of Halloween. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for food or money. In which, eventually became today’s trick-or-treat. As for the practice of making Jack-O-Lanterns, this tradition comes from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack. According to the story Jack invited the Devil to drink with him. Jack tricked the Devil into turning himself into a coin to pay for the drinks, instead of paying Jack kept the coin in his pocket behind a silver cross in which the Devil couldn’t return to his original form. Jack freed the Devil once he promised to not bother Jack for a year and to never claim his soul. The next year Jack tricked the Devil again, this time he
One of Halloween’s origins dates back to the Celtic Festival of Samhain. Two-thousand years ago the Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st, which was the end of summer, but the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on New Year’s Eve, the separation between the worlds of the living and dead, became non-existent. October 31st they celebrate the Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead return to earth. These ghosts were believed to cause trouble, destroy crops, and even helped the Druids make predictions about the future. During this …show more content…
Around 43 A.D. the Roman Empire had taken over most of the Celtic territory. In effect, two of the roman festivals were added to Samhain. One being Feralia, when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pamona, Roman Goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pamona being an apple, is where the tradition bobbing for apples comes from. Years later, in the second half of the 19th century, America was filled with new immigrants. This helped popularize the celebration of Halloween. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for food or money. In which, eventually became today’s trick-or-treat. As for the practice of making Jack-O-Lanterns, this tradition comes from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack. According to the story Jack invited the Devil to drink with him. Jack tricked the Devil into turning himself into a coin to pay for the drinks, instead of paying Jack kept the coin in his pocket behind a silver cross in which the Devil couldn’t return to his original form. Jack freed the Devil once he promised to not bother Jack for a year and to never claim his soul. The next year Jack tricked the Devil again, this time he