Halloween, originally Samhain, is a holiday with its roots firmly entrenched in paganism. It is said to be the time of year when the veil between the land of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, and the spirits of those long departed can travel back and visit those of us still breathing. The reason this is said to happen at this particular time of year is because of its position between summer and winter, the seasons of life and death, respectively. Many of the Halloween traditions we take for granted have been passed down from the pagan celebration.
The Costume
To the pagans, dressing up on Halloween was a bit more than good-natured frivolity. This was a time when spirits and demons were all too real to the general populace, and the people dressed themselves up like spirits or fairies in order to confuse the true spirits and avoid being dragged off to the Underworld.
Trick-or-Treating
This popular Halloween ritual probably began as a practice called "Souling," where the poor went door-to-door, praying for the dead of each family in exchange for food and drink.
Jack-O-Lanterns
No, the pumpkin thing didn't start out in Europe. Pumpkins were a product of Central America, originally, like corn, squash, and potatoes. The tradition began with a hollowed-out turnip. People only began to use pumpkins after the Europeans came to the Americas.
Sources:
www.history.com
http://www.albee.org/halloween/jackolantern.htm
[Jack-O-Lantern carved by Yours Truly]
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