Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, but it hasn’t been around for all that long in history. In fact, this year’s is on a Saturday, which many teachers and parents are celebrating because the next day there is no school!
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 3,000 years ago in Central and Western Europe, celebrated their new year on November 1. The Celts believed spirits could cross the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead on October 31. This was a problem because the Celts believed the spirits would cause damage to any crops that were still in the ground, and they also believed that the spirits interfered with the Celtic priests and their abilities to predict the future. The people relied on these predictions to get them through the dark, cold winters.
So, to combat these evil spirits, these Celts would hold a festival to end the year, much like we now do for New Year’s Eve. Unlike our celebration, during the Festival of Samhain, the Celtic people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare off evil spirits. Then, in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, a day to remember all those who had passed away during the previous year. The evening before All Saints’ Day became known as All Hallows Eve.
