Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Day
Halloween Safety Tips
Recipes and Ideas to Dress Up Any Halloween Party

There a couple of versions of where Halloween originated. Some believe it has its origins in the Catholic Church observance in honor of saints, known as "All Saints Day."  Then, some believe it is a pagan celebration honoring Satan, occurring on the Celtic New Year.

It is commonly believed this is the night when disembodied spirits from all the people who died throughout the year come back looking to inhabit bodies to possess for the next year. The Celts believed that for this period, the spirits could co-mingle with the living because the natural laws of space and time were put on hold. On Halloween Eve, villagers would not build fires in their homes.  Instead, they dressed in frightening costumes and roamed throughout their village scaring others acting in a destructive manner, hoping this would keep the spirits from choosing their body to possess. It is thought that in some cases those who were believed to have already been possessed were burned as 'witches' in order to teach the spirits a lesson.

There are some who believe that the souls that were destined to live in animal bodies as a punishment for bad behavior, used Halloween to gather gifts and prayers to offer the Lord of Death in hopes of a better deal. The immortality of the soul rested on the idea of being able to possess a live human body.

The Irish are credited with bringing the tradition of Halloween to the USA in the early 1800s. With them, reportedly, came the practice of trick-or-treating. This stems from All Souls Day where the early Christians apparently walked from village to village receiving square pieces of cakes with currants as "soul cakes." It was believed the more cake one could collect, the more prayers would be said for recently deceased friends and relatives. Prayers were aimed at helping a soul get to Heaven as fast as possible.

All Saints Day which occurs the next day, November 1, originated as the Catholic Church could not honor each saint throughout the year because there were too many. They settled on honoring all of them once a year. It is possible they choose November 1 in an effort to negate the effects of the Druid or pagan rituals the night before. It is also said that Martin Luther choose Halloween as the night to nail his thoughts on the wrongs the Catholic Church were committing, starting the Reformation, because he knew the church would be well attended that particular night.

The tradition of carving  a Jack-O-Lantern from a pumpkin has been traced to an Irish Folktale about a man named Jack who tricked the devil. The story tells that Jack was a drunkard and a practical joker who tricked the Devil into climbing a tree. He then carved a cross in the tree, trapping the Devil until the Devil promised he would never tempt Jack again. When Jack died, the tale claims Jack could not get into Heaven because of his evil behavior and likewise, he could not get into Hell because he had tricked the Devil. The Devil gave Jack an ember which was placed in a hollowed-out turnip to help Jack see his way through the darkness in which he was destined to exist forever. The Irish, upon arriving in America, found more pumpkins than turnips, and consequently the Jack-O-Lantern became a carved out pumpkin rather than a turnip.

Today, no matter what the truth of the origin of Halloween, many celebrate it has an innocent night of dressing up and collecting candy or partying.

In Britain - Turnips are used to create a type of jack-o-lantern. On the Isle of Man a gaelic bonfire is burned (called a sauin). On Halloween night practical jokes are played on greedy or unfriendly people. Challenges are handed out. Because it is thought that spirits and fairies are out, this night is also called 'oíche shamhna' (Spirit Night). At midnight the year turns and families go inside by then. Some families put a straw cross over the door for protection.

Ireland - For a couple weeks prior to Halloween masked kids dress in old clothing, sheets, or garbage bags & other items. They sing around the neighborhood for treats and are given money, apples and nuts. Today people keep watch for the dead by lighting a candle in their homes. This comes from the past practice of sitting on the steps of a church all night. The apparitions of those who would die in the coming year would come & knock on the door. They might die & become a churchyard walker (a graveyard guardian until the next person disturbed the service of the dead). Halloween is called 'oídche na h-aimléise' (Night of Mischief). Fireworks are often displayed on Halloween night.

Italy- The Romans originally observed Feralia which was meant to give peace to the deceased. People gave sacrifices and offering prayers on behalf of the dead. Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace this pagan holiday. Gregory III eventually changed the date to November 1.

Mexico - Latin communities celebrate 'Día de Los Muertos' (The Day of the Dead). Aztecs believed that the dead did not go on right away.

Scotland - Originally this holiday was called Hallowe'en. They lit sacred ritual bonfires, generally atop a hill. On Halloween children go 'guising' (rhyming). This is also done in Ireland.

USA- Children carve faces on pumpkins which are called jack-o-lanterns about a week before Halloween. Halloween costume parties are often held in school and at people's homes on Halloween night or sometime the week before. Haunted houses are also available to scare the pants off of willing participants. On Halloween night, children dress in costumes visit neighborhood homes, saying 'Trick or Treat'. They are generally given candy. Television often shows horror marathons. People often play pranks.