Happy Halloween! Every year, we dress up in costumes and go around the neighborhood asking for candy, whilst houses have spooky decor and carved pumpkins. I’m sure if you’re in America, you know what Halloween is, but did you know that Halloween originates from the Pagan celebration of Samhain?
Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is a Pagan religious celebration that celebrates the harvest at the end of the summer. Lighting bonfires, and wearing costumes in order to ward off ghosts was tradition.
However, sometime in the Eighth century, Pope Gregory III declared the First of November to be a time to honor saints. All Saints Day was made to assimilate Pagan traditions of Samhain into Christianity. The night before said day was called All Hallows Eve, which later turned into Halloween.
It’s interesting to see how traditions evolve and change over the centuries. Have a Happy Halloween!
Footnote: Our Twitter/X: @WiscAdvance Article wrote by Alex (@enbyalex9 on Twitter/X), on October 31, 2023. Source of the History of Halloween: Library of Congress, https://tinyurl.com/yck7ju5w Copyright The Wisconsin Advance
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