By Rupert Frith
All Hallows Eve, more commonly known as Halloween, is one of the annual quintessential holidays, where kids hone their craft of trick or treating, and parents hone their craft of cutting holes in a blanket and calling it a costume. With such a legendary holiday being rivalled only by the likes of Easter and Christmas, how did we come to celebrate such a tradition?
Well, the history is more interesting than you’d think. The origins of Halloween are most commonly linked to a Celtic tradition known as Samhain, which was celebrated between the evening of October 31st and the 1st of November. Samhain marked the end of the Harvest for countries like Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, which was seen as a ‘liminal’ time, where the boundaries between the real world and the spirit world would thin. This meant that spirits could wander the streets alongside mortals. Thus, in order to appease the spirits, people would often leave offerings of food, drink and treats to ensure good fortune and a bountiful harvest for the coming season.
Then, in the 16th century, door knocking disguised as one of these spirits became the cultural norm of Samhain, so that everyone, even us mortals, could get their own piece of the drinks and sweets. Overtime the tradition expanded into the Western world, and thus was exposed to Christianity, where the name Halloween, (Hallow coming from all Hallows day (November 1st), and -een stemming from the traditional spelling of eve, as e’en) combined to make the Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, that we all enjoy once a year.