THE ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN

The origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. They celebrated their new year the first of November. This day was the end of summer and the arrival of the cold winter that caused a lot of deaths. On the night of October 31st they celebrated the festival of Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts resuscitated and went to the earth again. The Celts believed that the ghosts killed the crops, and the presence of the ghosts made for the Celtic priests to guess the future. For them that depend on the nature, these beliefs make easier the pass of the winter.

In 1000 AD, the church chose the second of November for the All Souls’ Day. This day was celebrated similarly to the Samhain, with bonfires, parades and costumes of saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows, and the night before it that was the night of Samhain, it was called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.