Everyday Masks

History of Halloween

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from All Hallows Eve ("All Saints Day"), In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year. Some believe the spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, the people would then dress up in costumes and parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

Trick-or-treating is thought to have come from a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, people would walk from town to town begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants.

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