The Real Story of Halloween

By Carolina Kondas '28

Candy corn, costumes, parties, and trick-or-treating are what usually come to mind when one thinks of Halloween. However, there is much more to it beyond these celebrations. Long before it became a night filled with horror movies and haunted houses, Halloween was a quiet, eerie evening dedicated to honoring the dead and welcoming the dark half of the year. Although there is some debate surrounding the true origins of this spooky holiday, if you peel back the layers, you will discover a much older and stranger story than candy and costumes.

Halloween is a holiday that continues to grow in popularity in the United States each year, with numbers of celebrants surpassing 70% of the population in 2024. Though it is a popular holiday in the United States, its origins have nothing to do with it. Halloween dates

back to over 2,000 years ago mostly in the area now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France. On November 1st (the new year), Celts would have a Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the cold, dark winter (this time of year was associated with human death). The night before this festival, it was believed that the boundary between worlds of the living and the dead vanished, making it possible for the ghosts of the dead to return to earth. This heritage only minorly resembles the Halloween we know today, as there are many more layers to Halloween.

By the 1st Century AD, most of the Celtic territories were conquered by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire blended the Samhain with their festivals, Christianizing pagan traditions. During the mid-8th Century, Pope Gregory III made November 1st All Saints' Day, and made the evening before, All Hallow’s Eve (eventually evolving into Halloween). This holiday did not stop its evolution there though, as an entire layer was added onto Halloween once it came to the United States.

In the 19th century, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought Halloween traditions to

America, gaining much popularity. Americans began to hold celebrations (like the Celts)

that were festive and fun. As Halloween began to develop more, there were more parades, parties, and the rise of trick-or-treating came to be. This celebration shifted Halloween from a religious celebration to a more community-focused celebration. Now, Halloween is a multi-billion-dollar industry that is a staple holiday, often referred to as a true American holiday, that continues to evolve and gain layers of history over time.

Halloween has always been a popular holiday, and has many layers, traditions, and cultural celebrations intertwined within it. From the Celts, to the Romans, to Americans, Halloween has always been a major celebration and will continue to evolve and spread throughout the world.

All Photos Courtesy of National Geographic and desireemmondesir.com

Sources: Nationalgeographic.com, desireemmondesir.com, Statistica.com and History.com

Edited by Catherine Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant

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