What is the true origin of Halloween? It's not America, it's a Celtic tradition

Next Sunday, in many places on the planet the celebration of Halloween night will take place, the most terrifying of the year. Pumpkins, costumes and candies: thousands of children are during these days finalizing with their families the preparations for a party whose origin is often confused.

Halloween or Hallowe’en is the contraction of All Hallows ‘evening (the eve of All Saints’ Day which is commemorated differently in various parts of the world). And although the Hollywood industry has made us believe through series and movies that it is a party in the United States, the truth is that its birth has nothing to do with America.

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The celebration of All Saints came to the United States during the 19th century thanks to immigrants who arrived in boats packed with people from Europe. A large part of them were Irish Catholics who left for North America as a result of a great famine in the country around 1840. These people were the ones who brought the Halloween party to the United States, following the tradition of their ancestors.

Halloween, a celebration of Celtic origin

The word Halloween dates from approximately the year 1745. However, its origin dates back several centuries, before Christ. It is an event that comes from a Celtic tradition in which rituals were performed far removed from the costume parties, pumpkins and games that we all know today.

On October 31, the Celtic peoples celebrated a before and after in their calendar with a festival called Samhain, a term which in Gaelic means “the end of summer.” Thus, on the last day of October, the end of the harvest season and the change of season was determined. In this way, Samhain became the most important pagan holiday in Europe. In addition to Ireland, it was also held in Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Why is Halloween on October 31?

As we have mentioned, the celebration takes place on October 31 because it is the day on which the Celtic year ended. Life was divided into two stages: one of light (spring and summer) and another of darkness (autumn and winter). The autumnal equinox was the turning point of the year when the days grew shorter and the nights longer. With all this, the Samhein was presented as a party to say goodbye to good weather and Lugh, the sun god, which lasted for three days.

This is how the Celts celebrated Halloween in Ireland

For the Celts, these days of the year were of vital importance, since they marked the transition from one year to the next. They believed that on the night of the 31st the borders between the real world and the ‘afterlife’ were broken and the deceased reappeared to walk among the living. For this reason, sacred rituals were performed whose main objective was communication with ‘the others’. The good spirits were invited while the evil ones were dissolved so that they would get as far away as possible.

There is a theory that suggests that the current tradition of dressing up for Halloween may refer to those practices in which the Celts used costumes and masks to intimidate and drive away evil spirits. Fire played another fundamental role, since they became the center of the rites that were carried out. Over the years, the Samhein was used to help the dead find their way. For this, the custom of leaving a candle lit in the window spread.

Why do we think Halloween was born in the United States?

The arrival of the Irish to the United States caused the transfer of their traditions to the other side of the pond, where they evolved and changed some of the activities carried out during that day. For example, later the custom of carving the so-called Jack-o’-latern (the famous pumpkins) was integrated. These come from the story of Stingy Jack.

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The Halloween party began to be celebrated massively in the US from 1921, at which time the first parade was held in Minnesota. Little by little, this was growing until in the 70s, the definitive boom took place thanks to the saga Halloween by John Carpenter. Since then, Halloween has been permeating society, which keeps the night of the 31st as one of the indisputable dates of the year.