A Brief History Of Halloween
The Story Behind Halloween
Halloween is an ancient Christian vigil that has many names attributed to it, including Hallowe'en, All Hallows' Evening, All Hallows' Eve, and All Saints' Eve, to name a few. Halloween is a festive celebration that is held in many countries across the world each year, commencing on 31 October, known as the eve of the Holy Western Christian feast of All Hallow's Day. The celebration is a traditional observance of All Hallowtide which is three days including All Saints' Eve, on 31 October, All Saints' Day, on 1 November, and All Souls' Day on 2 November, these three days taken collectively are a Western Christian commemoration that is dedicated to the honoured deceased, namely, martyrs, saints, and faithful departed Christians. Also, since the late 20th century, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (observed first Sunday of November) is traditionally a religious congregation offering prayers for those Christians who were persecuted for their faith, and this day is observed respectfully by many Christian denominations across the globe each year.
The expression 'All Hallows' is found in Old English terminology, 'Hallow' meaning 'Saint' and 'All Hallows' meaning 'All Saints'. The term Halloween or Hallowe'en is said to date back to around 1745, and it is believed to be of Christian origin. Hallowe'en translates to 'Hallowed evening' or 'Saints evening', and this expression originated from an old Scottish word for All Hallows' eve (31 October), which is the evening before All Hallows' day (1 November), designated Western Catholic religious commemoration days, for the Christian Saints departed. In the Scottish language, the word 'Eve' means 'Even' and this was shortened to 'een' or 'e'en'. And over the passage of time, All Hallows' even, transitioned to All Hallowe'en, and then eventually this led to the well-known modern term Halloween.
Halloween is a religious time within the liturgical year, which is the observation of the annual cycle of seasons within the calendar of the Christian church to commemorate the life, death, and teachings of Jesus Christ, when saints, martyrs, and Christians departed are remembered. Some historians state that Halloween originated from the ancient Roman religion mythology of 'Pomona', who was said to be the Roman Goddess of fruitful abundance and prosperity, symbolized by apples. The ancient Romans worshiped Pomona by holding prestigious Roman festivals in her honour each year on 1 November. However, the most popular theory for the origin of Halloween dates back to over 2,000 years ago at the time of the ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly, the Gaelic festivals, then called Samhain, which many believe originated from pagan roots in Ireland and Scotland. Samhain was a Gaelic festival that marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, which for that society occurred between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. The autumn equinox, or September equinox, is the moment when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, which usually occurs any time between September 22 and 23 each year, and this is a time when day and night are of equal length. The winter solstice or December solstice typically occurs any time between December 21 and 22 each year, when the Earth is tilted furthest from the Sun, and when the Sun's path in the sky reaches its lowest point, subsequently producing the shortest day of the year. Since prehistoric times, ancient societies around the world acknowledged this transition period as a significant time of the year, which denoted both death and rebirth, and was paid homage by ancient societies who had traditionally performed sacred ceremonies and festivals, additionally, they also believed that this was the moment when the restless spirits of the deceased returned to earth, in search of unsuspecting living victims to perpetrate their mischievous or malicious deeds upon.
Pope Boniface IV is famous for the consecration or conversion of the Roman Pantheon, in Rome (originally an ancient Roman pagan temple), into a Catholic church in 609, and he ordained that it be dedicated to the commemoration of St. Mary and all Martyrs on the anniversary of 13 May across Italy. The feast for All Hallows was originally called the 'Feast of All Holy Martyrs.' However, the Catholic church did not intend 'feast day' to be taken in the literal sense, but as a day of religious prayer and remembrance of all Saints and Martyrs. Between 731 and 741, Pope Gregory III founded an oratory in old St. Peter's Basilica for the holy apostles, saints, martyrs, and confessors. In 837, Pope Gregory IV officially ordained that All Hallows' Day be changed from 13 May to 1 November and that it be universally celebrated across all Western Christian churches situated everywhere in the world. Interestingly, 1 November is the same date that was stipulated for the ancient pagan Samhain celebrations. Many scholars argue that this ordainment was a deliberate attempt by the Catholic Church to Christianize a long-held pagan tradition. Currently, Halloween is celebrated by many Christian churches, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, and other denominations across the world. However, there are many Christians who have chosen not to celebrate Halloween because they do not agree with its foundations of paganism and the occult. Nevertheless, in modern society, Halloween is still viewed by some Christian communities across the world as an important vigil and a good opportunity to express their generosity to others and give to charities, attend church services, light candles, meditate over Saints, Martyrs, the faithfully departed, and traditionally many Christians prefer to abstain from eating meat or poultry on All Hallow's Eve (31 October), but instead choose to indulge in a varied and wholesome vegetarian meal.
Samhain
In Britain, the ancient Celts existed during the Iron Age, which spanned 600 BC - 43 AD. Samhain was an ancient Gaelic festival, which marked the end of the harvest season and the heralding of the dark and forbidding winter months. The ancient Celts traditionally began their celebrations on the evening of 31 October and celebrated their New Year on 1 November. The term 'Samhain' is said to have originated from archaic Irish written language, meaning 'summer's end'. Ancient Celtic communities considered the beginning of winter to be an important religious transition period, which they honoured and celebrated by taking part in traditional festivities, namely, people congregated to feast and drink indulgently on extravagantly prepared meals, as they bid a formal farewell to the bygone fruitful summer season, meanwhile, some villagers donned colourful costumes and masks, and then danced jauntily and sang merrily around large communal fires, whilst offering their worship and religious sacrifices to their deities.
Samhain was also a religious time when the living remembered the deceased and prayed for departed souls. Also, the ancient Celts believed that at this time, the boundaries of this world and the spiritual world became more easily accessible to spirits or deities, who were seeking to cross from the spiritual world into the material world. Ancient communities believed that some spirits were evil and had the intention to harm certain people. As such, superstitious people traditionally held vigils in order to protect themselves by wearing colourful costumes, and face masks, especially animal face masks, intending to confuse such spirits from targeting their intended human victims. The ancient Celts also believed that they could appease malicious spirits by creating bonfires with traditional offerings of animal sacrifices, and by leaving food and wine in certain locations within their villages, especially in places such as churches or graveyards, and in front of their homes, these practices were also undertaken with the hope that such gestures of good-will, might bring their communities good fortune, and a bountiful harvest the following summer.
Bonfires
Historians claim that bonfires originated from ancient pagan festivals held in Britain between the summer and winter solstice, which were celebrated by burning vast amounts of animal bones from livestock that had been slaughtered during the previous year. The word 'Bonfire' originated from the Middle English term 'banefire',meaning, burning bones, 'bane' old use meaning bones. The ancient Celts traditionally culled their livestock each year, as they were unable to sustain all of them throughout the winter months due to a lack of food provisions for those particular farm animals. Therefore, as a result of the culling process, cattle bones were accumulated and then burned in large fires. The Celts also believed that the ashes from such fires offered special protective powers for their communities, and contained magical properties, as such, those communities practiced the tradition of walking their cattle through the remaining ashes with the belief that it would ensure their cattle's good health and fertility the following year. Additionally, the ancient Celts used the elements taken from bonfires for ritualistic divination, which is the practice of foretelling future events by supernatural means.
Trick Or Treat
The practice of trick-or-treating is a traditional celebration at Halloween, in which children dress up in costumes and paint their faces, then go around knocking on various houses, uttering 'trick or treat' with the hope of receiving treats, such as money. However, in the distant past, when the same phrase was spoken, if a treat was not forthcoming, 'trick' often implied a subtle threat to the homeowners. The tradition of trick-or-treating is thought to have started from the medieval practice of mumming or guising, which was a kind of medieval folk play, once undertaken in Ireland, Scotland, and England, and which involved music, dance, and drama performances. Historically, these practices occurred during seasonal holidays and involved amateur actors dressing in various colourful costumes and then entertaining people in pantomimes on the streets, or public stages, the players accepted food, drinks, gifts, or money for their efforts. Another historical tradition on Hallows' Eve was 'souling', namely, catholic and protestant people from mostly poor neighbourhoods donned elaborate costumes and went around knocking on houses, usually, wealthy homes, and then they recited various verses and requested donations of soul cakes, which were often marked with crosses to indicate that they were baked as alms or charity cakes.
Halloween Mythologies
Throughout Europe, ancient stories have been written and retold over many centuries, relating to Halloween. One well-known tale states that the restless souls of the deceased wandered the earth eagerly awaiting Halloween, which was the last opportunity for such spirits to gain access to the material world, to satisfy their lust to take vengeance or inflict cruelty upon their intended chosen living victims, before their final departure into the spiritual world. Because of this superstition belief ancient villagers once practiced the tradition of wearing face masks and costumes, intending to hide or disguise their identities from the imminent arrival of malicious spirits. Another folklore states that once a year at Halloween, the spirits of the dead rise from graveyards to indulge in a wild and hideous carnival, known as the danse macabre (dance of death). In that era, the so-called danse macabre was theatrically performed at village pageants and court masques by local communities from different social classes who gathered at the event dressed in elaborate costumes, some of which represented corpses and other frightening portrayals, and also, people indulged in the tradition of darkening their faces with so-called sacred ashes obtained from bonfires to represent evil spirits, goblins, and witches. Another chilling story behind the tradition of trick-or-treating is that it is a reenactment of how evil spirits or witches were believed to have disguised themselves as friendly souls to win people's trust and gain entrance into their homes, so that they could carry out wickedness upon their unsuspecting victims. It is said that such ritualistic events based on superstition or religious beliefs were also partly undertaken due to ancient people's obsession with the inevitability of death.
Jack-o'-Lanterns
Jack-o'-Lanterns are commonly known to be associated with Halloween. It is believed that this tradition stems from the old European legend (mythical character) of a man named 'Stingy Jack' or 'Jack of the Lantern', a man so cold and wicked and devious that he was cursed to walk the earth for all eternity with nothing but a hollowed-out turnip containing an ember to light his way at night. It is also said that Jack-o'-Lanterns arose from a phenomenon called will-o'-the-wisp, which is a phosphorescent light, emitted as a result of the spontaneous combustion of gases caused by decomposed plants across vast wetlands in the forests. This atmospheric metamorphosis is sometimes chillingly observed from afar as a ghostly glowing light, hovering over swamps and marshes. In old European literature or folklore, 'will-o'-the-wisp' is said to mislead travellers by resembling a flickering lamp or lantern. In addition, in literature, will-o'-the-wisp is an expression that metaphorically refers to a tantalizing goal or a sinister beckoning that is impossible to attain. At Halloween, Jack-o'-Lanterns are traditionally made from hollowed-out pumpkins or turnips with lighted candles placed within them, and they are artistically carved to appear as ghastly face expressions, with glaring incandescent eyes, and a menacing molten lava grin. The communities of the distant past held the belief that fire possessed the power to repel malicious spirits, and even a single flame from a candlelight is enough to startle them to take flight. Therefore, long ago on the night of Halloween, when those communities were safely in their homes, superstitious people had traditionally placed Jack-o'-lanterns outside the doors and windows of their properties, in preparation to protect themselves from malevolent spirits that haunted the night.
Christianization
Modern Halloween
In modern times, Halloween has evolved to become a very successful commercialized business event, which generates huge revenues for many different organizations across the world. Moreover, Halloween has evolved into a secularized tradition for millions of people, who currently celebrate Halloween without any religious adherence. Instead, many people quite simply long for the hedonistic enjoyment of the occasion. The theatre and drama of the event offers thrilling anticipated excitement for millions of modern-day revellers across the world, who indulge in Halloween costume parties, play childish games such as trick-or-treating, watch horror movies, visit fireworks and bonfire events, carry torches, light candles, and visit fortune-telling or book reading events that orate spine-chilling stories for those with insatiable appetites.
Memento Mori
The public melodrama entitled Halloween is a spectacular event each year, in which the performers eagerly await, brimming with mischief-making anticipation. Mankind's eternal obsession with death, horror, and life after death is most evident in the ritualistic traditions that ancient communities have adhered to down the centuries, relating to their inescapable fate. Memento mori is a Latin expression meaning, remember you must die, which was a movement once popular during the 17th century. Memento mori was a philosophical theme and art movement that incorporated literature, architecture, sculpture, and paintings relating to the inevitability of death, while commonly symbolizing death by heralding the grim and unsettling features of the human skull. It is believed that Memento mori originated from an ancient Roman tradition, where, after Roman generals had been successful in battle, on their return to Rome, in Italy, jubilant crowds of people would line the streets in eager anticipation to express their adoration. Indeed, some Roman citizens worshipped their generals as they would the arrival of an immortal being. And at such moments, it was common for Roman generals to indulge rather excessively in the fleeting moments of glory and triumphalism attributed to them. Therefore, for this reason, a prudent tactic was employed, namely, a servant slave was ordered to travel in the general's chariot throughout his victory procession, whilst repeatedly uttering the words, memento mori, to that general, the purpose of which served as an important philosophical reminder about human frailties and mortality.
The Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is a well-known depiction of the incarnation of death, which originated from one of the darkest ages in human history, the era of the black death or the bubonic plague, which caused the death of half the population across Europe beginning from about the mid-14th century. The vision of the Grim Reaper was created from a deep-seated fear that lurks within the human mind, whereby death is represented as a tall, dark, human skeleton figure, who appears in an elongated black hooded cloak, carrying a great scythe, and whose eternal mission is to end human life. The Grim Reaper acquired its name from the great scythe that it possesses, and over many generations, the so-called harvester of human souls was successfully incorporated into the traditional celebrations of Halloween. The hideous form of the Grim Reaper is an enduring and potent representation of death, an unsettling vision that lingers most disconcertingly within the human psyche, and which is perhaps a testimony that we are the unknowing authors of our own terrifying nightmares.
Written by Star_gazer
Published 2 October 2021