Did you know that Halloween originated from an ancient festival celebrated by Celtic peoples more than 2,000 years ago? The Celts lived in the area that is now Great Britain, Ireland, and northern France. Their Samhain (meaning “summer’s end”) festival took place around November 1 and marked the start of the dark season of winter. It was a wonderful time of transition for the Celts, At Samhain, the walls between the natural world and the supernatural crumbled, permitting the dead to walk among the living and the færie folk to cast their spells over humanity; a time when the dead could divulge secrets of the future.
During the 9th Century, the Christian church created (though some would say “co-opted”) a festival on November 1, one that celebrated the lives of saints—Christian ancestors who had lived especially holy lives in devotion to God. Dubbed “All Saints’ Day,” this new holy day (or “holiday”) was also known as “All Hallows’ Day” (Hallow being another word for holy folk. Often, holiday feasts lasted more than a single day, so the evening before the holiday became part of it. Hence, “Christmas Eve” accompanied Christmas Day, and All Saints’ Day was preceded by “All Hallows’ Eve,” which eventually became simply Hallowe’en.
By the time the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1, the people of this region had become Christians. However, many of the Celtic customs survived from their pagan traditions. As a result, people incorporated the old pagan customs into their observances of the Christian feast. For example, many would leave a lantern or candle burning in the window of the home, so that the dead could find their way home for the night to impart their secrets to the living. Others would leave food out for their ancestors, so that they would be nourished upon their arrival at the family hearth. My mother recalls a custom from her own childhood, when her family would leave food on the hearth at bedtime. They believed that transactions between the living and the dead are somehow made easier during this special time of year.