A Glimpse into Halloween's Past

Straddling the line between fall and winter, between reverence and revelry, we find Halloween.  If you haven’t noticed we’ve been kind of obsessing over the to-dos and to-wears for the ol’ All Hallows Eve, and in honor of the rapidly approaching day of candy and costumes and honoring the dead we thought it might be great to talk about where it all began: Ireland

According to most sources Halloween as we know it today originated in the country of rolling hills and Guinness beer.  

It all began, as many Halloween customs do, with the belief that on October 31st the dead could return to their earthly homes.  The Celtics would light bonfires to guide their way (or burn crops in sacrifice to them) and wear elaborate costumes while trying to tell each other’s fortunes (something that was believed the dead could do).

Flash forward a century or so and customs evolved.  The children would dress up in costumes and play ding-dong-ditch – ringing a doorbell and running away before the homeowner could answer – almost as if the dead were at the door.  The people would light bonfires and throw feasts with plenty of sweets and goodies baked inside, symbolizing different fortunes for the future of whoever bit into them.  For example, if a young lady discovered a ring in her pumpkin pie the prediction was that she would be married by the next Halloween!  

These customs were expanded and adapted by many cultures over the years, eventually making their way to America with the many Irish immigrants in the 1800s.  The pilgrim’s fall harvest festivals were merged with Halloween traditions, melding into a single night of revelry and trickery – jokes and pranks played on neighbors, parties thrown, fortunes told, costumes encouraged.  

Eventually the modernization of the world called for a shift in the Halloween perspective; by focusing the holiday on the young the more severe, darker edge was minimized.  And in order to prevent trickery a treat was offered as an olive branch, thus starting the tradition we still practice: Trick or Treating.

Today we see Halloween as a jolly time, costumes and parties are endless, scary movies and candy are everywhere.  It’s nice to take a moment to appreciate the history of what has become such a gaudy, albeit delightful celebration – it all started in Ireland with the burning of a bonfire and wondering what the future might have in store…