by Jesse Kehrley

Created on: September 20, 2010

                It’s that time of year again. Soon, little ghosts and goblins will stroll up your walkway looking for candy and other treats, but what is this Halloween thing, exactly?  Is it all about fulfilling an insatiable sweet tooth?  Is it about getting dressed up and running door to door?  How did it all start?  Let’s take a look at the origins of this immensely popular holiday.

                In order to find the origin of the holiday, we must first look at the word “Halloween” itself.  The first use of the word Halloween dates back to the 16th century.  It is a Scottish variant of All Hallows Eve, or the night before All Hallows Day.  This can actually be dated to Old English origin, where we find the term All Hallows (ealra hálena mæssedæ, the feast of all saints), although All Hallows Eve itself is not used until 1556.  This is where the name of our modern day Halloween came from, but what about the traditions?  Where did the candy and costumes and that silly Trick or Treat cry come from?

                Halloween is closely linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-an or sow-in), or the festival held at the end of summer.  It was often regarded as the Celtic New Year, and it celebrated the change from the brighter half of the year to the darker half of the year.  The Celts believed that at this time of year, the border between this world and the spirit world grew thin, allowing spirits both harmful and harmless to pass into our world.  Ancestors were honored at this time and invited into the home while the people tried to ward off evil entities. 

                It is believed that the modern tradition of wearing costumes came from this time.  The people would disguise themselves as harmful spirits to go undetected and avoid attack from actual harmful spirits.  Often times they would dress in white and hide their faces with masks or veils, or blacken their faces with soot.

                When Christianity became widespread, it placed many of its

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