Booooh! On October 31st it’s Halloween again… But did you know it’s actually an Irish tradition?
Read on, if you dare… Booooh!
Halloween began two thousand years ago in Ireland, England, and Northern France with the ancient religion of the Celts (Paganism). This day marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.
On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. People thought that they would meet ghosts if they left their homes, so they wore costumes. This way, the ghosts couldn’t recognise them! 🙂
All Saints’ Day was on Nov. 1st So Oct. 31st became All Hallows’ Eve (‘hallow’ means ‘saint’) = The evening before All Saint’s Day .
Trick-or-treating began with the poor in the 15th century
During the All Souls’ Day festival on November 2nd in England, poor people would beg for “soul cakes” (pieces of bread). Families would give soul cakes in return for a promise to pray for the family’s relatives.
Halloween became a fusion of both celebrations, because today on October 31, children still go from house-to-house, but instead of food, and money, they get candy (“trick or treat”). Only with Irish immigration Halloween came to the USA. They made Jack-O-Lanterns from pumpkins which are used for decorating people’s homes.