40 Interesting Facts About Halloween
40 Interesting Facts About Halloween
By Editorial Staff
Halloween is now considered as a global holiday that is celebrated by millions around the world. Given this level of popularity, you might be wondering how it came about and what led to its development. In this article, we delve deeper into the origins and other interesting facts.
1. Halloween happens every evening of the 31st of October. It marks the start of Allhallowtide, a series of Christian holidays meant to remember the dead such as loved ones, saints, and martyrs.
2. Current Halloween customs can be traced to the pagan traditions of ancient Celtics, particularly the festival called “Samhain” which means summer’s end. It is part of their preparation for the gloomy winter.
3. Celtics believed that the boundary with the Otherworld is weaker during Samhain, allowing spirits to pass through and walk among us. People left food offerings outside their homes to appease the spirits.
4. By the 1500s, the festival began to include costumes and house-to-house visits. Young people impersonated the spirits, recited verses, and sang songs in exchange for food. Households obliged to receive good fortune.
5. “Halloween” first appeared in Christian writings around 1745. It is a shortened form of the term Hallows evening, referring to the vigils and other activities the night before All Hallows Day (also called All Saints Day).
6. Most celebrations of saints and martyrs were held from spring to summer. In 837, Pope Gregory IV moved All Saints Day to November 1 which coincides with Samhain. This was a practical decision to decongest Rome from pilgrims during summers.
7. By the 1100s, the festivities included street parades with criers in black asking people to remember the dead. Homes baked soul cakes marked with a cross and gave these out in exchange for prayers. Shakespeare mentioned this souling tradition in his play “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”.
8. Although most people consider Halloween as major US holiday, it did not reach mainstream consciousness in North America until the 1800s. Mass immigration of Scottish and Irish people allowed their traditions to flourish here.
9. New York‘s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade is the largest of its kind in the world. It features over 50,000 participants in costume. Millions of spectators turn up each year to cheer them on throughout Manhattan.
10. In the Middle Ages, Christians would carry carved out turnips turned into lanterns while going around homes for traditional souling. These lanterns are thought to symbolize the souls of the dead.
11. Fires, such as those burning from jack-o’-lanterns, were thought to prevent demons from haunting homes and guide wandering souls back to their families. People roaming during the night could also ward off evil spirits.
12. While Ireland and Scotland preferred turnips, US immigrants used native pumpkins instead. These were larger, softer, and easier to access. Pumpkin carving was a common harvest time tradition before being linked to Halloween.
13. A popular Irish folktale explains the origin of the jack-o’-lantern. It is said to contain the soul of a person who was denied entry to both heaven and hell, condemning him to roam forever.
14. Another enduring image of the holiday is the skull. This is a reminder of death and the fragility of life. In the Christian tradition, it is a reference to Golgotha where Jesus was crucified.
15. Trick-or-treating comes from the medieval practice of mumming in which costumed actors parade on the streets and perform in homes. Aside from Hallows Eve, they also did this on other feast days like Christmas, Shrove Tuesday, and Twelfth Night.
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