Halloween, a highly sought-after holiday with many traditions, was initially celebrated by the Celts, who pronounced it Samhain (pronounced ‘Soo-when’, ‘So-ween’ or ‘Saw-wen’), and was first created to mark the end of the harvest and the start of winter. Over time, as more people adopted it, many traditions were preserved, and some Christian traditions evolved into the Halloween traditions we see today.
Irish immigrants also had a hand in creating Halloween 2,000 years ago, through the tales and traditions, one of which would be the tale of Stingy Jack, a man so stingy that he was forced to walk the earth forever with a piece of glowing coal carved in a turnip
One tradition that was created over 2,000 years ago for Halloween by the Celts was the costumes. Costumes were created to ward off evil spirits, as the Celtics believed putting on a mask would confuse evil spirits that were back for revenge. Many of the costumes the Celtics wore were made of animal fur, specifically from rabbits, bears, and foxes; the distinctive masks they wore were mostly composed of fabric, fur, and metal. Most Celts believed that wearing the skin of enemies would confuse evil spirits even more.
Over time, the tradition of costumes has evolved, as seen in the 1900s, when many immigrants from Celtic nations, such as Irish immigrants, moved to America, introducing Halloween. Many people believed Halloween was still considered an evil day, or day of the devil to be exact, went along with the Celtic traditions of Halloween costumes, but they spiced it up and made more creative costumes, with many Victorian women dressing up as bats, using real adult bats as hats, and baby bat heads on top of shoe tips. Many women in the Victorian era dressed up in extravagant costumes for Halloween parties.
In the 50s, more immigrants began to move to America. They brought even more traditions, also introducing mass production and the famous day of Halloween. Still, Halloween at the time became a day of tricks and treats, which is also where we get the famous line for asking for candy, aka TRICK OR TREAT!! Many began making affordable costumes for children and adults to wear for Halloween, such as those mass-produced in the 1950s. Some costumes were made from TV shows, such as “Cowboys,” and DC superhero comic characters. Some of the companies that made it were Ben Cooper and the Collegeville companies
1000 years later, after the Celtics, costumes are still worn throughout the US and the world, some for tradition, some for fun, but one thing that hasn’t changed is how Halloween is celebrated. There are many ways to celebrate such an important holiday; I know we can all agree that trick-or-treating is a great way to celebrate it by giving out candy and receiving it from others, so take the time to participate in some traditions and dress up for this enjoyable holiday.
Happy Halloween from the students here at STVM.
