Did You Know the History of Halloween Is Rooted in Agriculture?

Americans purchase about 600 million pounds of candy each year for Halloween, which may lead you to believe the holiday was invented by major candy manufacturers in an effort to boost sales. But would you have ever guessed the history of Halloween is actually rooted in ancient agricultural celebrations?

We can trace many of the major holidays, festivals and events we celebrate today, Halloween included, to agrarian communities. The Halloween we know and love today has transformed over time, but started out as a time dedicated to celebrating the end of the harvest season and the start of winter.

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Ancient Celts celebrated this shift in the seasons with a festival called Samhain. The word translates to “summer’s end,” and they believed it was a unique time of year when the boundaries between the dead and the living grew particularly thin. The more curious among the ancient pagans thought it was the ideal time to commune with lost loved ones – and even see into the future.

In the first century A.D., the Roman Empire overtook the Celtic lands and influenced the culture with their own traditions. Over time, Samhain became known as All Hallows’ Day. It later shifted again with the influence of the Roman Catholics to All Saints’ Day. Citizens celebrated this November 1 holiday by attending a church mass, lighting bonfires, and dressing up in costumes of saints and angels. The night before was called All Hallows’ Eve, which was shortened over time to what we now call Halloween.

Where Did Modern Halloween Traditions Come From?

Now that you know how the holiday evolved, you may be wondering how we ended up with some of our more modern Halloween traditions.

Bobbing for Apples

As far as history can tell us, this Halloween tradition has its origin in an ancient Roman festival for the goddess Pomona, who was believed to be the goddess of fruit and orchards. According to legend, the first person to successfully pull an apple from the water would be the first to marry the following year.

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Scary Costumes

What about all the scary costumes? You have to go a little farther back for this one. During Samhain, the more superstitious among the Celts would dress up in animal skins or linen masks and tromp around outdoors to ward off any unwanted spirits.

Trick-or-Treating

We can trace the roots of trick-or-treating all the way back to Samhain, too. Many people at the time set an extra place at the dinner table as an offering to deceased loved ones. Some also put food outside the house to keep away troublesome spirits who might enter and harass residents.

Our more modern understanding of trick-or-treating comes from the Middle Ages. The lower classes would collect baked goods known as “soul cakes” from their upper-class neighbors. In exchange, they would pray for praying for their neighbors’ loved ones who had passed away.

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Pumpkin Carving

Carving pumpkins is one of the most popular traditions of Halloween today, and it has a fascinating history, too. In 19th-century Ireland, holiday participants would seek out large turnips, remove the insides and carve frightening faces on them to scare away evil spirits. They placed a small candle or a piece of smoldering coal inside (like a jack-o’-lantern) and set them in windowsills. In addition to keeping the bad spirits away, they believed this tradition would invite their deceased loved ones inside.

When the Irish came to North America, they found that pumpkins were more prolific than turnips – and easier to carve.

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