Do you know how Halloween began? Halloween finds its roots in the Celtic people that lived in parts of Europe thousands of years ago
. 31st October marks the last day of the Celtic calendar.
It was amongst one of the four special days in the Celtic calendar. They were known as the fire days, which I am going to tell you later why. They were all celebrated in the end of one season and the start of another.
Halloween marked the end of summers. The Celtic people believed it was also the time of the year when the evil spirits came down to the earth. So it was important to ward them off.
Samhain is the word that Celtics used for Halloween. To ward off evil the people built huge bonfires. They also involved in giving too many gifts and treats to lessen the 'evil' affect from the spirits.
It is a magical time of the year for them. This event was also connected to other mythological events in which the forces of good were temporarily defeated by the forces of evil. Therefore this event marked the beginning of the dark 'winters' of the year.
The Christian Church saw it as a pagan ritual. They were unable to stop this celebration; therefore they gave it a new name. In the Christian calendar Samhein then was celebrated as All Saints' Day.
All Saints Day was celebrated in the evening before the actual day, keeping up with the Celtic tradition. So it turned to hollow's evening since Saints were holy which turned into hallows. Therefore hollow's evening became Halloween for short.
Today the people celebrate this day by lighting candles in pumpkins, making jack o lanterns. The children ringing bells as they go from door to door asking for 'trick or treat'. All the parties, the fun, and the games is what marks this most celebrated day today in the United States.