Halloween can also be called the Christian feast of Hallowmas, Allhallows,
or All Saints day. Halloween is connected all the way back to the ancient
druids. The Druids believed that on this evening the lord of the dead called
upon hosts for evil spirits. The Druids would then light fires on Halloween
night for the purpose of warding off these evil spirits.
The ancient Celts believed that Halloween was the last evening of the year
and people of this time would examine portents for the future. The Celts also
believed that the spirits of the dead also revisited their homes as well on
the night of Halloween.
When the Romans conquered Britain they added Halloween to the Roman harvest
festival on November first. The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on
Halloween has survived until modern times (in Scotland and Wales) and even the
concept of ghosts and witches connected to Halloween is still common. Even the
Roman harvest festival traditions are still used today. Like dunking for
apples in a tub of water and carving out faces on jack-0-lanterns and placing
candles in them.The idea coming from leaving a candle in the jack-o-lantern
for lost souls. Halloween being the night where the viel between the dead and
the living is the thinest.
The idea of wearing costumes and doing more of the 'modern' activties came
about during the twentieth century. Turnips turned into the use of pumpkins
then later carving into jack o lanterns. The idea of wearing scary costumes or
masks came from the Celtics who wore them to scare away food scavengers and
hunters turned into what is widely known today as wearing halloween
costumes.(Popular costumes include ghosts, witches, vampires and other things
associated with halloween). And the idea of leaving food behind, or feeding
the young ones turned into 'trick or treating.'
