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Happy Halloween: Here's How it Happened

Happy Halloween! It's something we hear and say every year at this time, but what does it really mean?

It's believed Halloween originated with the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, whose tribes were scattered over Western Europe, celebrated their new year beginning Nov. 1, when summer and the harvest were over and the cold weather and long dark days of winter were approaching. The Celts believed the boundary between the living and dead thinned and the ghosts of the dead returned to earth as the new year approached. The returning spirits were said to damage crops and livestock, so to ward off their influence, the Celts built bonfires and dressed in scary costumes on the night of Oct. 31. After the ceremonies, they relit their home fires with fire from the bonfire to protect their homes and families during the coming winter.

By 43 A.D. the Romans had conquered most of the Celtic lands. The Romans also celebrated a holiday in October to honor their dead called Feralia, and another holiday to honor Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees. The traditions of these two holidays were incorporated with the Celtic Samhain celebration across the region.

By the ninth century, Christianity had taken over most of the former Celtic regions. All Saints Day, a Christian church holiday observed on Nov. 1, was celebrated much like Samhain. Starting on the evening of Oct. 31, a day known as All Hallows Eve, they lit bonfires and dressed in costumes of saints, angels, and devils. The Middle English word for All Saint's Day was "Alholowmesse" and Samhain, which was still being celebrated on Oct. 31, eventually became known as Halloween, the name derived from a combination of Alholowmesse and All Hallows Eve.

In the United States, Halloween was not widely recognized until the second half of the 19th Century. Early Colonial Americans held fall festivals and dinners to celebrate the harvest, but their religion did not include a holiday on Oct. 31.

Halloween as we know it today began with the influx of immigrants with more diverse religions during the late 1800s. The holiday still had religious connotations for some, but eventually it became less about warding off evil spirits and witchcraft and more of a time to celebrate with neighbors and friends. Frightening costumes were joined by funny and unusual outfits, and parties for adults and trick or treating for kids became the norm.

Today, Americans spend over $6 million on Halloween, making it the second most expensive holiday after Christmas.

 

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