Halloween, celebrated on October 31, traces its roots back over 2,000 years to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). For the Celts, Samhain marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, a time they believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. To protect themselves from spirits crossing into the earthly realm, Celts lit bonfires and wore costumes, laying the foundation for the Halloween traditions we know today.
When the Romans occupied Celtic territories, they blended their festivals with Samhain’s, including Feralia, a day to honour the dead, and Pomona, the goddess of fruit. Today’s apple-bobbing is believed to have originated from Pomona’s symbol, the apple. By the 8th century, Pope Gregory III established November 1 as All Saints’ Day, with October 31 becoming All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually evolved into Halloween. In America, Halloween grew into a community event, with trick-or-treating gaining popularity in the 1930s. Today, Halloween is the U.S.’s second-largest commercial holiday, generating over $10 billion annually in costumes, candy, and festivities.
Many cherished Halloween customs have deep origins. For example, the Jack-o’-Lantern began in Ireland with the legend of “Stingy Jack,” who, barred from both Heaven and Hell, wandered the earth with a lump of glowing coal inside a hollowed-out turnip, inspiring today’s pumpkin-carving tradition.
Halloween’s place in the calendar, preceding All Saints’ Day on November 1, enriches its connection to remembrance and reverence. Celebrated worldwide, Halloween merges ancient customs with Christian observances, especially in regions like Europe and Latin America. In Mexico, Día de los Muertos combines elements of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day into a vibrant celebration of life and memory, bringing people together in a spirit of respect, reflection, and joy.
