On account of All Hollows Eve being tomorrow, I figured I’d give a little backstory on the origin of the widely known holiday and its traditions. All Hollows Eve, or Halloween, dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
The Celts lived around 2,000 years ago, and used All Hollows Eve as a marker of the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of dark winter. This time was typically associated with human death. On October 31st the Celts celebrated Samhain (Sow-in). Samhain was believed to be time when the spirits of the dead could return and roam the earth yet again. Celts believed that the presence of these spirits would help and make it easier for Druids or Celtic priests to predict the future. Jack o’lanterns come from an Irish legend.
People have carved multiple things in forms of the traditional Jack o’lantern we know of today. Some of these things include large beet roots from England. There were also turnips from Ireland and Scotland. They would carve faces into them and put them into windows or near doors to scare and ward away the spirit of stingy Jack.
According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form.
Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.
Costumes for All Hollows Eve also have a big role in its origin. They were typically horrifying and meant to ward off evil spirits, or even to reconcile with death. The costumes were traditionally more morbid and serious costumes than the funny or cute ones people may have today.
During the festival it was believed that the world of the gods became visible to humans, resulting in mischief. Some would offer treats or food to the gods while others would wear animal skins and or heads as disguises, so that the spirits would mistake them as one of their own.
