From carving pumpkins to trick-or-treating, to dressing up as all the iconic Halloween creatures and characters, we often take part in many of the holiday’s traditions, without ever realizing their origins. With Halloween just around the corner, we thought we would give some insight into the history behind some of the festivities.
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The Origin of the Jack-O-Lantern
The tradition of carving Jack-o-Lanterns originated in Ireland, though it started with turnips and gourds rather than pumpkins. Legend says that a man named “Stingy Jack” trapped the devil in the form of a coin and said that he would only let him go if the devil promised that Jack would never go to hell. The devil agreed but Jack was then condemned to walk the earth as a ghost for eternity, with no place in heaven or hell. It is said that the devil gifted Jack a lump of burning coal which he carried around in a carved-out turnip, creating the original Jack-o-Lantern. Locals began carving faces into gourds to ward off evil spirits.
Samhain and All Souls Day
Ireland is considered the birthplace of what we know as Halloween today. The origins of the celebration stem from ancient Celtic and Pagan rituals and a festival called Samhain, which translates to “summer’s end”. Celtic people believed that during this festival, spirits walked the Earth. All Souls Day was then introduced on November 2, preserving the idea of the mingling between the living and the dead during that time of year.
The Origin of the Witches Broom
The image of witches on brooms dates back to 1451, where two illustrations appeared in Martin Le Franc’s manuscript The Defender of Ladies. The association between the two might also stem from a pagan fertility ritual, where farmers would dance around poles, pitchforks, and brooms during a full moon to encourage crop growth. The dance became confused with accounts of witches flying on brooms during the night to illicit meetings.
Bats, Death, and Spirits
Medieval folklore suggests that bats have a connection to spirits and often let them into your home. Legend says that if a bat was seen flying around your home three times, it meant that someone from that household would soon die. Another myth states that if a bat flew into your home on Halloween night, it meant that your house was haunted and the spirits invited the bat in.
The Origin of Trick-or-Treating
There’s no one origin of this tradition, as there are many different speculations of how it started, but one theory is that during Samhain, Celtic people would leave out food to appease the souls, ghosts, and spirits roaming the earth that night. Eventually, people would begin dressing up as otherworldly beings in exchange for food and drinks.
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