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The Ancient Origins of Halloween From Samhain to All Hallows Eve
Historians say the holiday’s roots blend Celtic, Roman and Christian traditions, and that modern origin stories give ancient Ireland too much credit.
- Historians argue that Halloween's ancient Irish pagan origins are significantly overstated, with little concrete evidence of such traditions surviving. While Samhain marked the seasonal turn, scholars rely primarily on legends written by churchmen around 800 A.D., about 400 years after the Irish started turning Christian.
- In 834, Pope Gregory IV decreed November 1 the day for celebrating all Christian saints, seeking to consolidate the liturgical calendar rather than quell pagan celebrations. The night before became All Hallows Eve, which later emerged as a popular celebration of the saints in the Middle Ages.
- Jack-O'-Lanterns are neither ancient nor Irish; 18th-century accounts describe an eponymous Jack who carved a turnip as a lantern. In the 16th century, Protestant rulers quashed saints' feast days, with ministers viewing customs like candle-lit processions as "heathenism."
- Customs like dressing in disguise and begging for "soul cakes" arrived in America with 19th-century immigrants. Halloween eventually became a feast of consumerism, with companies mass-producing costumes and candy to serve modern demand.
- USC Dornsife historian Lisa Bitel notes that 19th-century folklorists created a "through line" from Samhain to Halloween while seeking national cultural origins. Today, only those drawn to the ancient Celtic past sense the "numinous opening" of the otherworld at Samhain.
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11 Articles
11 Articles
The Guam Daily Post+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
The ancient Irish get far too much credit for Halloween
Folklorists created a through line from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain to Halloween. But the Halloween we know today has more to do with the English, a 9th century pope and American consumerism.
The Ancient Origins of Halloween From Samhain to All Hallows Eve
The annual celebration of Halloween on October 31 is a mainstay across much of the Western world and beyond. Modern Halloween traditions include spooky costumes and trick-or-treating, but the ancient festival of Samhain once marked the turning of the Celtic year. It was a time when the veil between the worlds was believed to […]
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution89% Center
Bias Distribution
- 89% of the sources are Center
89% Center
11%
C 89%
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