History of Halloween Update
The 411 on the Spookiest Holiday Ever!
Ever wondered.....?
Click on the link below to read about the history of this spooky holiday!
More History of This Spooky Holiday!
Irish documents written by monks in the 800s and the 1100s are the primary sources of information that we have about the festivals. But there isn't a lot of information about how the Celts celebrated.
It was one of 4 harvest festivals and it was the one at the end of the year---crops had been harvested and animals were slaughtered because the Celts believed it helped ward off evil spirits as the days got shorter in the fall.
But this celebration was not the same as Halloween.
There were pagans and witches in the Celtic festival; but in the Middle Ages as Christianity spread across Europe and the influence of Christianity increased, Pope Gregory I decided to transform all pagan holidays into Christian ones instead of forbidding people to celebrate.
In the 700s Pope Gregory III established November 1 as the day to celebrate All Saints Day and the evening before was All Hallows Eve.
As people migrated over the years, the 3 holidays took elements from each other.
Finally in the 1840s the Irish immigrants (fleeing the potato blight/starvation for millions) brought their culture and traditions to the United States.
We still have All Saints Day on November 1 in which the Irish observed by attending Mass and praying for all those who have reached heaven. (All Souls' Day is observed for those souls who have not yet reached heaven.)
(In Mexico they celebrate Dia de los Muertos on November 1--the same idea as All Saints Day---for those who have passed on.)