When the ancient Celtics in medieval Ireland launched their festival of Samhain, the long history of Halloween began. The Pope got to the act eventually, declaring All Saints Day as a ploy to deter Pagans from traditions he regarded as blasphemous. Trick or treat is an American invention, although it has roots in both the Pagan and Catholic celebrations, also as the marketing efforts candy companies in the present day.
The Pagan celebration
The Celts started the Halloween history. Farmers would honor the sun with the festival, Samhain, at the end of summer in order for the sun to come back within the spring. The farmers were the Celts. As days got shorter and trees and plants went dormant, it had been believed that the worlds of the living and dead grew closer. October 31 had been always the day Samhain was kept. The Celts built bonfires in memory of the dead, wore costumes and left food and drink outside overnight for ghosts. To lure the spirits, kids would cut scary faces into hollowed-out vegetables and put candles inside. They also had fun smashing vegetables and bottles at their neighbor’s doors.
The Pope talks about All Hallows Even
The modern version of Halloween is more from Pope Gregory III. All Saints Day was announced by him as November 1. The Celtic Pagans were happy to go along, however they refused to give up Samhain and their celebration of the dead. The Pope would continue to let the Celts party under one condition. They had to be doing it for the saints only. Many began going door to door offering a prayer for a dead relative in exchange for food and drink. This was called “a-souling”. All Saints Day became known as All Hallows. Hallowe’en originated from All Hallows’ Even. This had been the same night as Samhain, or the night before.
Then there’s the trick or treat
The US started to see Hallowe’en within the 19th century. This was when Irish immigrants came to America. Halloween trick or treating, initially seen as a form of extortion in the 1920s and ’30s, gained momentum nationwide in the late 1940s. Halloween became an opportunity for candy companies within the 1950s that they just could not pass up. The National Confectioners Association explains that candy sales for Halloween are ridiculous. In fact, this year, over $2 billion will be sold for Halloween. The average American family will spend $20.29 on Halloween candy.
Articles cited
UP Post
ubpost.mongolnews.mn/index.php?option=com_content and amp;task=view and amp;id=5468 and amp;Itemid=45
Stars on Top
starsontop.com/2010/10/the-haunted-history-of-halloween/
CNN
eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/10/20/candy-sales-king-sized-this-halloween/
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
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