Halloween has not always been about kids knocking on doors, screaming “trick or treat” and stuffing their faces with candy. People around the world might know the tradition of dressing up annually and stocking up on mega bags of chocolate eyeballs, but most do not know that Halloween does in fact have a mysterious history which has been passed down through generations.

The ancient traditions, superstitions and ceremonies have evolved into what we now call Halloween. In the 19th century, Scottish and Irish immigrants carried versions of Halloween to North American.  Later, other Western countries began embracing the tradition such as Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival known as “Samhain,” which was a celebration of the end of the harvest season. The Gaels believed that here, the boundaries between the dead and the living overlapped, and the dead would come back to life wreaking havoc on farms and families.

The symbol of the bat that we commonly associate with Halloween derives from the abundant bonfires at the festivals,which attract insects, and therefore bats. These bonfires were sacred; the Gaels gathered around them sacrificing crops and animals to the dead. These people believed that if they wore costumes that resembled spirits and animals, the dead would avoid them. Many still wear these costumes today. The word “witch” actually derives from the Old English word “wicce”, meaning wise woman, and were widely respected in the ancient communities.

Trick or treating goes all the way back to the medieval ages. It resembles “souling,” when poor folk would go door to door receiving food in return for prayers for the dead. Celtics also put food outside to placate and please the spirits who roamed the streets of Samhain.

By the 1950s, Halloween had become more of a fun, superstitious holiday than the ancient times, when people were genuinely warding off the dead. To this day, traditions such as dressing up and trick or treating are still popular, (but we have lost the evil spirit aspect, probably for the better.)

Fun Halloween Facts:

• The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.

• Boston, Massachusetts, holds the record for the most Jack O’Lanterns lit at once (30,128)

• The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown in 1993 with a 836 lb. pumpkin.

• One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween.