Halloween through the ages
October ushers in the season of cobwebs, witches, and candy. As Halloween comes around the corner, people prepare to celebrate the holiday in their respective ways. Although, Halloween as people know it today is very different from its origins 2000 years ago.
The holiday is rooted in the Irish culture of Samhain, marking the Celtic New Year starting on November 1st. In the eighth century, Samhain underwent the medieval version of a rebranding. Pope Gregory III appointed November 1st as a day to honor the saints, eventually renaming it to All Saints Day. The evening before All Saints Day, October 31st, was called All Hallow’s Eve.
Halloween was not celebrated in the United States until after 1840. Even after its adoption, American settlers did not practice most of the traditional customs of Samhain. Instead, people would pull pranks, bob for apples, and guess their future spouses. Children would dress in costumes and knock on neighbors’ houses for food, coins, and toys as an early form of trick-or-treating.
“Going trick or treating and seeing how people decorate their houses is really fun,” Deerfield Beach High School senior Kishana Jean-Louis said.
Trick-or-treating, as people know today, was not popularized until the 1930s. Although the tricks originated in Samhain culture, the treats became a tradition for later generations. The production of candy was increasing, and many famous brands popped up in the 1930s, such as Snickers, Tootsie Pop, and Three Musketeers. To this, companies sought business in children’s desire for sweet treats and marketed Halloween as the perfect opportunity to push their product into households.
Halloween in the modern age consists mostly of costumes, candy, and television specials. Some use Halloween as a medium to express themselves creatively, whether through face painting or costume designing. For others, it is just a time to enjoy with friends and family inside their homes.
“My family and I don’t really celebrate Halloween religiously,” DBHS junior Maliha Hossain said. “We take it as an opportunity to collect candy and express ourselves through costumes.”
Halloween has evolved greatly from its Celtic roots to a nationally recognized tradition of spooks and sweets. Those who celebrate the holiday can enjoy the haunted attractions, creepily themed food, and petrifying parties. Even those who don’t celebrate Halloween can enjoy the numerous television specials that air every year and seasonally offered food items.
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