Understand how Halloween came about and the changes the festival has undergone over the centuries

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, a holiday that has been celebrated for centuries in Ireland and today is mainly associated with the culture of the United States. Understand how this party and its celebrations and customs emerged:

How Halloween came about

''Halloween'', known worldwide as ''Halloween'', is celebrated on October 31st, although its roots are strong in the United States, it is a festival celebrated in several countries, and which has even been gaining strength in Brazil. This year, for example, several celebrities appeared in costume at Halloween themed parties. However, long before decorated houses and costumes, or children asking ''trick or treat?'', but its origin is different from that.

The word Halloween is derived from “All Hallows' Eve”, which means ''Eve of All Saints' Day'' celebrated on the first of November. Historians point out that since the 18th century there was a festival that gave rise to Halloween, the Celtic festival of Samhain (which means “end of summer”). This festival started on October 31st and lasted three days.

According to research, the festival was a kind of tribute to the ''King of the Dead''. Participants lit bonfires and celebrated harvests. However, this theory is not 100% accepted, as there is not enough evidence to prove it, in addition to the fact that the meaning and time in which the festival was held changed depending on the region.

In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III changed All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1, as did Samhain, but it is not known for certain whether he or Gregory IV made the celebration obligatory with the intention of “Christianizing “Samhain. This change ended up ''joining'' Christian and pagan traditions.

The Halloween celebration we know today was formed between the years 1500 and 1800. Bonfires were still a traditional symbol, symbolizing the harvest, guiding souls in purgatory and warding off witchcraft and disease. Another custom was to predict the future, such as the name of the future partner or the date of death, and these rituals were linked to agriculture, such as pulling cabbages to predict traits of the future husband or wife.

Furthermore, churches rang bells throughout the night, a practice that persisted even after attempts to ban it by King Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I.

The Halloween we know began during the Great Famine in Ireland in 1845, around 1 million Irish people migrated to the United States, taking their Halloween traditions.

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_{Halloween pumpkins (Photo: reproduction/ Eli_Asenova/Getty Images Embed)}

The ''American'' Halloween

The first references to Halloween in the United States appeared soon after, with an American magazine in 1870 calling it an “English holiday.” In the beginning, American Halloween mixed Irish games with local harvest traditions.

In the early 20th century, scarecrows were common in Halloween decorations, and in the US, the pumpkin replaced the turnip, which was carved in Ireland and the UK.

The story of the blacksmith Jack, who outwitted the devil and wandered as the undead, gave rise to illuminated pumpkins, the symbol of American Halloween. The practice of “trick or treating” emerged in the USA in the 1920s, inspired by medieval games. Although the tradition became popular after World War II, when sweets became affordable again, the use of costumes and scares is the most famous aspect of Halloween and is not linked to sweets.

Nowadays, people celebrate by putting on makeup and wearing costumes to attend themed parties, going to parties, ordering sweets and decorating their homes.

Featured photo: Halloween Pumpkin (reproduction/ Skynesher/Getty Images Embed)