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Exploring the Origins of Halloween: A Brief History of the Spooky Holiday

  • Katya
  • Oct 21, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 6



At first glance, Halloween seems like a holiday on which we celebrate the spookiness of October with candies, costumes, and bright orange jack-o-lanterns.

In this post, I will discuss three holidays believed to have significantly shaped Halloween as we know it today: Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve & All Souls’ Day, and Candy Day.

                      



                                                                              

Samhain


A woman in a black robe holding a wand near the table with book, candle and a cauldron

The Celtic holiday of Samhain falls on November 1st. However, the celebrations commence on the evening of October 31st, per the Celtic tradition of counting a day from sunset to sunset.

 Samhain celebrations were steeped in belief. They marked the end of the harvest season and the onset of the darker half of the year. It was believed that during this time, the separation between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest, opening up the possibility of contacting Aos sí (spirits or fairies in Celtic mythology).

Samhain was a time of communal rituals and familial remembrance. As part of the celebrations, people offered food and drink, a symbolic gesture to ensure the survival of both humans and livestock during the harsh winter. Families also set a place at the table during meals, a poignant tribute to the spirits of deceased family members who were believed to have returned to their former homes during Samhain.






tea candles burning in the dark environment


All Hallows’ Eve & All Souls’ Day

 The name ‘Halloween’ comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” an evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows’ Day on November 1st and All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. During these three days, people honour all saints and pray for the recently departed souls who did not reach Heaven.

During All Souls’ Day, soul cakes were baked and shared. This custom is believed to be the origin of trick-or-treating. People exchanged soul cakes in return for praying for the dead, especially for the souls of their friends and family. Sharing cakes for prayers was called “souling.” Soul cakes were marked with a cross to show they were baked as alms (money, food, or other goods donated to impoverished people).




a lot of different candy on display



Candy Day


But just before Halloween entered the holiday scene, the candy makers tried introducing Candy Day to boost sales. According to the Matador Network, Candy Day was started in 1916 by The National Confectioners Association. The reason was to increase sales numbers between Easter and Christmas. However, the National Confectioners Association tried to cover their marketing ploy as something different:

“The true ‘Candy Day’ spirit is not just about stimulating greater candy consumption. The ‘Spirit of Candy Day’ proper may be interpreted as a spirit of goodwill, appreciation, and good fellowship.”

Unfortunately, because of World War I and sugar rationing, Candy Day had to be discarded.

In 1921, three years after the war, candy retailers partnered with the Red Cross to give candy to hospitals, orphanages, and older adults. They also changed the name from Candy Day to Sweetest Day to focus more on kindness and companionship.




                                                                                                    

Halloween has become one of the most popular holidays in the world, to the extent that people celebrate it in other countries. Whenever October begins, all the grocery stores in Sweden are filled with Halloween decorations, and candy manufacturers create “limited edition” candies for this time. Media companies are also trying to stay on the trend. During previous years, Netflix released Mike Flanagan’s series (“Haunting of Hill House” or “Fall of the House of Usher”).

I buy cute jack-o’-lantern candles here and there, stock up on limited-edition candies, and watch scary series on Netflix. These things serve as escapism. They help me forget about the long, dark days ahead of us and entertain ourselves, at least for a while.





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