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A Little Historical Context To Put You In The ‘Spirit’ Of Halloween

'Tis the season to be spooky. A Little Historical Context To Put You In The ‘Spirit’ Of Halloween Giphy

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Tomorrow is the last day of October, so you’re probably planning to take a little one out trick or treating, hand out sweets to young visitors from your neighborhood, or sit in the dark with the porch light off while you polish off the bag of Halloween chocolates you’ve been dipping into for the past week.

But aside from the costumes, haunted houses, and of course all the candy, how much do you really know about this spooky holiday? It has a uniquely complex backstory that is worth exploring as we get ready to ring in the holiday.

Common cultural themes

As you might already know, many other cultures throughout recorded history have conducted some sort of ritual or celebration dedicated to spirits … particularly those of the dead. But many also shared other aspects of what has become our modern Halloween tradition.

Consuming sweets and dressing in elaborate costumes are also commonly connected with such holidays around the world, such as Mexico’s Dia de Muertos or Iran’s qasoq-zani.

Becoming Halloween

As for the direct roots of the modern Halloween, experts say it developed from the merger of two existing holidays:

  • Samhain: A Celtic festival held to commemorate the end of summer
  • All Hallow’s Eve: A day dedicated to preserving rituals from before Christianity

The earliest evidence of celebrations that would eventually become modern-day Halloween can be traced back to the 9th century in Ireland and elsewhere in the British Isles.

The human experience

Historians believe the reason so many of these cultural celebrations share common themes is that we all struggle to make sense of the seemingly arbitrary line between life and death.

As our society advances, many of the underlying rituals lose their significance — but we’re left with the essence of celebrations dating back more than a millennium.

Chris Agee
Chris Agee October 30th, 2024
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