The prehistory of modern Halloween celebrations can be
traced back to the ancient Celtic ceremony of Samhain, named after the Celtic Lord of the
Dead. The festival, observed on the first day of November, symbolized the first day of the
new year and the first day of winter. During this holiday, Druids - sorcerer-priests -
kindled giant fires upon the Irish hillsides to scare away winter and evil spirits. The
Celts believed that the dead rose on that night between October and November and tried to
frighten the demons and witches away. To protect themselves from the evil spirits, they
put on grotesque and terrifying costumes to blend in.
Another festival considered to be a predecessor to our
contemporary Halloween is the observance of the Eve of All Hallows which flourished in the
Christian era. The Church, hoping to detract from the eve of the festival of Samhain,
channeled people's attention to All Saints' or All Hallows on the first of November and
All Souls' on the second. The clergy encouraged people to remember the dead with prayers
instead of sacrifices. However, some of the customs associated with Samhain - night of the
wandering dead, lights from bonfires, and costumes - continued to be practiced on the Eve
of All Hallows.
Today, Halloween is still influenced by customs of the past - evil spirits, symbols of the
dead, pranks, and ghoulish disguises - and, in some small way, when you light a candle
inside a jack-o'-lantern, you are imitating the ancient Celtic Druids.
