By: Daniel Morales
Halloween is a famous date celebrated on October 31 in which houses are decorated with pumpkins, skeletons, spiders, and other gloomy decorations. Its name comes from the phrase All Hallows’s Eve, which also means All Saints’ Day. This celebration starts the season known as Allhallowtide, or Time of All Saints, which includes November 1st and 2nd. This festivity is held mostly in English-speaking countries, throughout Europe and North America, but also in Spanish-speaking countries where the influence of foreign culture is strong.
Its origin is mainly associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain. It was believed that the souls of those who died returned to their homes during this festival. It was also believed that the souls of people who died during the year made their way to the afterlife during this celebration. People used to place bonfires on top hills to relight the fire in their homes and scare off evil spirits. Many others wore masks to avoid being recognized by the ghosts they believed were haunting them on Halloween Eve. These customs caused Halloween to be associated with folkloric creatures such as ghosts, goblins, demons, fairies, and witches.
In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day on May 13. Subsequently, and possibly aiming to eradicate pagan festivities, this celebration was moved to November 1st. By the end of the Middle Age, during the reformation, many religious celebrations were merged with secular dates; Thus, Halloween became a non-religious celebration. When the first American settlers arrived on the continent, they forbid Halloween. However, in the 19th century, they developed festivals dedicated to the harvests, adding several elements of Halloween to them. Later, with the arrival of Irish immigrants, their customs became part of the tradition, and in the 20th century, Halloween had become one of the most symbolic holidays in the United States.
Nowadays, Halloween is mainly related to multiple traditions, such as harmless pranks, dressing up, and going out trick-or-treating. The most significant activity is the one where children dress up as folklore creatures and go out asking for candies using the phrase Trick-or-treat, which was originated by the British tradition of allowing the poor to ask for soul cakes. In case they are not given any candy, they usually make innocent pranks, and some others not that innocent. Theme costume parties are also held on this date. The participants not only dress up as children, but they also perform games such as bobbing apples out of a container of water using only their mouths, this game is believed to be originated in the Roman celebration of Pomona.
Additionally to folkloric monsters, another characteristic of Halloween are the decorations and costumes based on monsters of modern cinema, such as vampires, mummies, werewolves, and the iconic Frankenstein monster. Also, black cats and carved pumpkins known as Jack-o’-Lantern, which literally means Jack’s Lantern. Jack-o’-Lanterns are created by removing the insides of a pumpkin, carving a face into one of its sides, and placing a candle inside. The popularity of this ornament and its process reached such a point that it became the main symbol of Halloween.