Submissions     Contact     Advertise     Donate     BlogRoll     Subscribe                         

Friday, October 4, 2024

The History Behind Halloween

The History Behind Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. No, we don’t get the day off work or school schedules, but we do get to celebrate and fully enjoy all the fun that comes from this unique day in late October. I was curious how this holiday came into being, so I researched the history behind Halloween.

We lived in Farmington, UT, for about ten years and created a tradition many of our old friends still remind us of. I had a recipe for donuts made using potatoes, and we called them Spudnuts. At the time, a company made a product with the same name. As I remember, they had kids go door to door around Halloween, selling them.

I remember coming home from work early and starting a batch to prepare them once the sun went down. We spread the word throughout the neighborhood that the Loosli’s were having their annual Halloween Spudnut and Apple Cider get-together. We’d tell the people to have their kids wrap up trick-or-treating, put them to bed, and come over for treats and conversation.

Over the years, those annual get-togethers built up to the point where close to 100 special friends came. We even had people who had moved to a new neighborhood call to see if they could come over. Life is filled with special memories like this, and I cherish every one.

From my reading, I see several different ideas about how Halloween started and some of the unique aspects that have developed over the years.

In case you missed this post, How to Make Vintage Glazed Doughnuts

Flashlights for Halloween

The History Behind Halloween

The History Behind Halloween

How Far Back Do We Have to Look to See Halloween Celebrated?

Halloween has some religious overtones, as do many holidays and special celebrations. Over 2,000 years ago, there were Pagans of Celtic origin who believed that at least once a year, the dead would return to earth and walk among the living. This belief was tied to summer’s end when the harvest occurred and before winter set in for the season.

Those celebrations were marked with traditional activities like dressing up in costumes depicting the dead or Satanic characters to either ward off evil spirits or blend in with them so as not to be noticed. People often started bonfires to light up the night. These celebrations were traditionally held on the last day of October.

At that time, the celebration was called Samhain and was common in what we now call the United Kingdom, parts of northern France, and Ireland.

With the proliferation of Christianity in Europe at this time, history tells us that by around the 11th century and with the expansion of the Roman Empire, a new holiday was established on November 1st, called “All Saints Day.” Many feel the clergy at the time wanted to overshadow the Pagan celebrations with one more in line with Christian beliefs and traditions.

The night before All Saints Day has several names, such as All Hallows, Eve, and Halloween. The religious influences of the day creep into these celebrations.

How Did These Celebrations Make Their Way to America and Other Countries?

As Europeans who had been celebrating a holiday with Halloween-like activities began their heavy immigration to the Western Hemisphere and elsewhere, they brought with them their beliefs and related events and celebrations that marked key times of the year, including Halloween.

When you add the challenging times brought on by the Salem Witch trials and the belief in witches and Satanic worship, Halloween takes on special meaning and significance. Many believe that witches take the form of black cats or that the Devil gave witches black cats to be their friends and companions as they went about their witch-related duties. For centuries, these black cats were considered evil, and superstitions persist.

As Europeans immigrated to other parts of the world, including many Asian countries, the traditions and celebrations of a Halloween-like day went with them and have persisted.

Do We Know Where the Tradition of Pumpkins Being Carved into Jack-O’-Lanterns Came From?

Ireland appears to be the source for the now-common Halloween exercise of carving jack-o’-lanterns. There is an old folktale about a man called Stingy Jack who had some dealings with the Devil. Jack tricks the Devil into giving him a coin, which he puts in his pocket next to a silver cross.

 As the story continues, when Jack died, neither God nor the Devil would allow him to enter their realm, but the Devil did give him some burning coal that Jack put in a carved-out turnip so he could see his way around. Over the years, people used other things to hold the burning coal during their celebrations, including pumpkins since they were much easier to carve.

Why Do Kids go door-to-door trick-or-treating?

From my reading, I found historical references that indicate that during the Middle Ages, people often dressed up on Halloween to look like demons and ghosts. They would travel around the area performing special skits and doing tricks for people who would watch their antics. As payment for their tricks, they would receive food and drinks, so the term trick-or-treat.

Thank goodness Halloween has become a fun day with various activities that bring us joy, memories, and lots of candy and other “treats.” Who doesn’t look forward to an evening where adults and kids can dress up, visit friends and neighbors, and hopefully enjoy safe activities full of spooks that’ll likely leave us with a smile on our faces?

Some Fun Halloween Facts and Figures

A few years ago, various agencies gathered some interesting information about what we Americans do and how much we spend to make Halloween the memorable holiday we all look forward to and thoroughly appreciate and enjoy:

In the US, we spend approximately $377 million on those jack-o’-lanterns each Halloween season.

It is hard to believe, but we spend about $3.2 billion on the costumes we dress up in.

In order of spending, we spend the most on costumes, followed by decorations and candy.

Chocolate tends to be the most popular candy “treat” handed out, including bars and other candies like Hersey Kisses. The least popular are home-baked items and fruit.

We haven’t ever done it, but around 30 million people dress up their pets for Halloween. Those costumes include characters like superheroes, hot dogs, and pumpkins.

We spend a staggering $8.8 billion each year on Halloween to make it memorable.

Final Word

Holidays are something we all look forward to, no matter what time of year. I’ve always said that time goes by so much slower for kids as they grow up because they are constantly waiting for the next holiday. With all the negativity in the world today, let’s make this Halloween fun and exciting by cooking special meals, being generous with our treats, and planning dinners and other special occasions with those we love. May God bless this world. Linda

Copyright Images: Halloween Pumpkins Depositphotos_74069859_S

The post The History Behind Halloween appeared first on Food Storage Moms.



from Food Storage Moms

No comments:

Post a Comment