The Pagan origins of familiar Halloween rituals

From whimsical costumes to trick-or-treating, the surprising ancient roots of Halloween’s most popular and most esoteric traditions.

Halloween is one of the world’s biggest holidays, with rituals ranging from goblins, goosebumps, and apple hunting to vampire and ghost costumes. It’s celebrated all over the world, from Poland to the Philippines, but nowhere is it celebrated as grandly as in the United States. $12.2bn (£9.4bn) was spent in 2023 Sweets, costumes, decorations, etc. The West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnival in the United States is one of the largest street parties of its kind. Hollywood parties, such as George Clooney’s tequila brand party, create a huge social buzz. At model Heidi Klum’s parties, she is famous for her bizarre disguises, such as: Iconic giant wriggling worm costume.

After the Oscars red carpet, American stars once again appeared in the biggest costume show, so it’s no surprise that Halloween is considered a modern American invention. In fact, its origins date back more than 2,000 years to an ancient Celtic fire festival called Ireland. Samhain. Although the exact origins of Samhain predate written records, beAccording to the Horniman Museum: “There are Neolithic tombs in Ireland that line up with the sun on the mornings of Samhain and Imbolc. [in February]suggesting that these dates have been important for thousands of years. ”

The religious ritual of Samhain (pronounced “saw-win,” meaning the end of summer), usually celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, focused on fire as winter approached. Anthropologist and pagan Lynn Bayliss told the BBC: “The ritual of fire, bringing light into the darkness, was extremely important to Samhain. Samhain is the second most important festival of fire in the pagan Celtic world, and the first… It was second only to Beltane on May 1st.” Samhain and Beltane wheel of the yearthe annual cycle of eight seasonal festivals observed in Paganism (a “polytheistic or pantheistic nature-worshipping religion”). says the pagan federation).

Samhain was the center of the Celtic pagan new year, a time of rebirth and death. “The pagans had three harvests: Ramah on August 1st, the corn harvest, the autumnal equinox fruit and vegetable harvest on September 21st, and the third Halloween,” Bayliss says. . At this time, animals that could not survive the winter were culled to ensure the survival of other animals. “So there were a lot of deaths back then, and people knew that during the harsh winters there would be deaths in the villages.”Other countries, especially Mexico, also celebrate. day of the dead This is the time to remember the deceased.

On Samhain, Irish Celtic pagans extinguished the fires in their homes and lit a large bonfire in their village, around which they danced and acted out stories. death, rebirth and survival. Animals and crops were burned as sacrifices to the Celtic gods, giving thanks for the previous year’s harvest and encouraging goodwill for the coming year, as the entire village took part in the dance.

It was believed that during this period, the veil between this world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the spirits of the dead to pass through and commune with the living. The sacred energy of rituals was believed to enable communication between the living and the dead and gave druids and Celtic shamans a heightened sense of perception.

And this is where the dress-up element came into play. Costumes and ugly masks were worn to scare away malevolent spirits believed to have been released from the world of the dead. This was also known as “mumming” or “gazing”.

Early Samhain costume rituals began to change when Pope Gregory I (590-604) arrived in Britain from Rome to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. of The mission of the Gregorian calendar Bayliss said the Samhain festival must incorporate Christian saints “to ward off spirits and evil creatures of the night.” All Souls’ Day, November 1st, was established by the Church “so that people may ask for help from the dead.” Also known as All Hallows, October 31st later became All Hallows’ Eve and later known as Halloween.

“There’s a long tradition of certain types of costume that goes back to the Holy Mass, when people prayed for the dead,” explains Nicholas Rogers, a history professor at York University in Canada. “But they also prayed for a fertile marriage.” Over the centuries, he says, church boys’ choirs began dressing up as virgins. “So the All Hallows Eve ritual involved some degree of cross-dressing.”

The Victorian era loved ghost stories and adopted non-religious Halloween costumes for adults. Then, after World War II, it became a day for children to dress up, and the ritual lives on today during trick-or-treating time. From the 1970s onwards, the idea of ​​adults dressing up for Halloween became popular again, with not only creepy and ugly costumes, but also overly sexualized costumes. according to timethese risqué costumes appeared due to the “rebellious” atmosphere of the occasion, “without being seen as particularly offensive.” In the classic teen movie Mean Girls, “in girls’ world” Halloween is “the one night of the year where girls can dress up as complete sluts and no other girls can say anything about it.” It is jokingly said that It’s not just in the “girl’s world” that Halloween has a suppressive effect. Halloween is a very popular holiday in the LGBTQ+ community and is often referred to as “Girl’s World.” “Gay Christmas” New York is famous for bringing the city to life with Halloween parades featuring participants dressed in elaborate and outlandish costumes.

The echoes of Samhain live on in today’s fire drills. It was a tradition to carve lanterns from root vegetables, but turnips were first used instead of pumpkins. This custom is said to have originated from a Celtic myth of a man named Jack who made a pact with the devil, but the man was so deceitful that he was banished from heaven and hell and left to wander the darkness with nothing to do but burn. It has been declared. Fill the cut-out turnip with coal to light the way.

In Ireland, people made lanterns and placed turnips with carved faces in their windows to ward off ghosts, called “Jack of the Lanterns” or “Jack-o-Lanterns.” Irish immigrants brought the custom back to the United States in the 19th century. In Hinton St. George, a small village in Somerset, England, turnips and mangolds are still used today, and elaborately carved “Punkies” are always paraded on “Punkie Night”, the last Thursday in October. will be done. The British town of Ottery St. Mary still holds the Burning Tar Barrel ceremony every year. This was once a widespread practice across Britain during Samhain, when flaming barrels were carried through the streets to ward off evil spirits.

It was said that leaving food or a sweet and spiced “soul cake” or “soulmas” cake on your doorstep could ward off evil spirits. Households judged to be too generous with offerings will be “tricked” by evil spirits. This translates to modern trick-or-treating. Although it is debatable whether soul cake came from the ancient Celts or the church, there is a belief that while eating soul cake, prayers and blessings are offered for loved ones who have passed away. did. Since the Middle Ages, “soul ringing” has been a Christian tradition on Halloween and Christmas in British towns. And soul givers (mostly children and the poor) went from house to house singing and praying for souls in exchange for ale, cake, and apples.

According to historian Lisa Morton, apple bobbing (the practice of dipping one’s face in water and nibbling on an apple) dates back to the 14th century. “In the illuminated manuscript “Latrell’s Psalter” it was illustrated.” Some say the origins of this custom go back even further, to the Roman conquest of Britain (after 43 AD) and the apple trees they imported. Pomona is the Roman goddess of fertility and fertility, and it has been argued that apple bobbing may therefore be associated with love and romance. In one version, a floater (usually a woman) attempts to bite into an apple with the suitor’s name on it. If she bites it first, she is destined to fall in love. 2 Go means that her romance begins but is thwarted. 3 means it will never start.

The theme is a British ritual that is central to Halloween traditions. ben edge books, The rise of folkloredepicted in his mystical paintings. “We’ve observed a resurgence of people interested in ritual and folklore,” Edge said, adding, “I call this a folk renaissance, and it’s a real movement led by young people. I think there is,” he said.

He points to artists such as Shovel Dance Collective, who are “non-binary, cross-dressing, and sing songs of the traditional workers of this land.” There is also a project called Weird Walks, which “explores the ancient paths, sacred places and folklore of the British Isles through walking, storytelling and mythologizing”. As interest in folk rituals grows, more people are turning to traditions such as paganism and Druidism. They both believe in tree rings, and Samhain is “dedicated to remembering those who have passed and connecting with our ancestors,” and preparing us mentally and psychologically for the long winter nights ahead. Please arrange. ”

Philip Carr Gom, a psychologist, author and practicing druid, says he has seen a “steady increase” in interest in druids over the past few decades. “We currently have 30,000 members across six languages,” he told the BBC.

The need for ritual, connection and community is at the heart of many Halloween traditions, Bayliss says. “One of the most important aspects of Halloween for us is remembering our loved ones. We light a candle and in some cases say the person’s name or say their name. It’s a sacred time and a ritual, but the important thing is that it comes from a place of protection and love.”