The History of Halloween

Written by AMS Student Calleigh Reidmann

Have you ever wondered how Halloween started? I bet that you never would have guessed that Halloween started in the middle of the nineteenth century. Halloween was originally a festival called the festival of Samhian, this was celebrated by the Celts who lived thousands of years ago. Halloween was originally celebrated on November first instead of October thirty first. The Celts started this tradition by lighting bonfires and dressing up in costumes, they believed that this would ward off ghosts. The festival of Samhian was also considered the end of summer and the end of their harvest. Halloween was brought to America by the early American settlers.

Here are some fun facts about the history of Halloween. During World War II, there was a sugar rationing which paused trick or treating. The word “witch” comes from Old English and it actually means “wise woman”. Black and orange are associated with Halloween due to the bonfires that the Celts lit during the festival, the orange represents the fire and the black represents the night sky. Trick or treating has existed since the medieval times. On Halloween, people used to think that if they left their homes, that they might come across ghosts. Lastly, if a kid went trick or treating early, then they used to have to dance in order to get candy.