One of the least well-known Halloween facts surrounds the origins of the holiday.
Why do we celebrate Halloween? The spooky holiday is believed to have its roots from both Christian and pagan practices, including All Hallows’ Eve or All Stains’ Eve from Christianity. A number of countries celebrate it on October 31 on the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.
However, the beginnings of the holiday can also be linked to Great Britain during its Celtic days, which has changed over the years as Christian traditions have morphed. One belief is that Halloween comes from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, which means ‘Summer’s End,’ marking the end of the harvest season as the weather changes.
Gaels thought that the barriers between our world and the next became thinner than usual, paving the way for spirits to come by and damage their crops. Additional places were set at the dinner to invite the spirits in kind, while food and drink would be served along with bonfires to push the spirits away.
Trick or treating then started as people would dress up in the 16th century in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. People would go door to door in a costume asking for food in exchange for a poem or song.
Some would dress up as souls of the dead in order to protect themselves from the spirits they were imitating.
