What is Halloween anyway? A brief look at Halloween facts and history

October 29, 12:19 PMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Early Childhood Parenting Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

We all know that Halloween is all about costumes and candy and being spooky. But did you know that the word Halloween comes from the name "All Hallows Eve"? Here are some more Halloween facts that could be fun discussion this week:

The History Channel says this about the origin of Halloween:

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

So how did Jack-o-Lanterns come to be? The History Channel has an answer for that too:

The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
Stingy Jack

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits.  

And what about black cats and witches you ask? The History of Halloween website says this:

Some folklore tells tales of witches gathering each year on Halloween, arriving on broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. Superstitions claimed witches cast spells on unsuspecting people, transformed themselves into different forms and caused other magical mischief. One superstition said if you wanted to meet a witch, you had to put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. Then at midnight a witch would appear.

When early settlers arrived in America, they brought their belief in witches. These legends spread and combined with the beliefs of Native Americans who believed in evil spirits and the black magic beliefs of African slaves. The black cat has often been associated with witches. It was even believed that a witch could shape shift into a cat. Others believed the cats were the spirit of the dead. The most common superstition is if a black cat crossed your path, you would experience bad luck. People would actually turn around and go the opposite direction to avoid bad luck.

 And what about that classic Halloween treat candy corn you ask? It was invented in the 1880s by the company that is now called the Jelly Belly Candy Co. Find out everything else you need to know about it HERE.