Why we celebrate Halloween on October 31st and what is its meaning

Credits: John Pheian

Halloween we celebrate the October 31st and it is a very popular occasion not only in North America but, to a lesser extent, also in Italy, Europe and other countries. The origins of the holiday are linked to that of All Saints’ Dayintroduced in 7th centuryand perhaps also in some of the rites Celtic populations. Contrary to what many people think, Halloween was not born in the United States but in Europe, probably in Ireland: it was brought to North America by European immigrants in the nineteenth century, it “conquered” the continent and then became “returned” to Europein a secular and commercial form, due to the influence of US culture. Despite receiving some criticism, Halloween’s popularity appears very solid.

What is Halloween: etymology and meaning

The word “Halloween,” first attested in 1735is the contraction of All Hallows’ Eveliterally “All Saints’ Eve”. Halloween is indeed celebrated on the night of October 31stpreceding All Saints’ Day. Today it is one secular occasionin which it is traditional to display carved pumpkins and dress in costumes that recall frightening figures, but its origins must be traced back to cults of the Catholic religion.

Carved “Jack o’ lantern” pumpkin.

The celebration of All Saints and the commemoration of the deceased

Halloween comes from the celebration of All Saints’ Dayintroduced by the Church in the 7th century AD and derived from the pre-existing one cult of martyrsthat is, Christians killed before Christianity was legalized by the Roman Empire. Saints’ Day originally fell in May, but in the 8th century it was moved to November 1st. The habit of keep vigil the previous nightwaiting for the day, as already happened on the eves of other religious holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.).

All Saints (detail from the Fiesole Altarpiece by Beato Angelico).

In the 10th-11th centuries a new cult was established, that of commemoration of all the deceasednot just martyrs and saints. It was decided to celebrate it on November 2the day following All Saints’ Day. In this way, a “tripartite” celebration was created, known as Allhallowtidewhich included Christmas Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Halloween from Europe to the United States and back

As time passed, they were born specific customs of All Hallows’ Eve. Since the 15th century, for example, in England and some other countries the tradition of preparing soul cakescakes of the souls, to be offered to poor children who knocked on houses to ask for a sweet in exchange for a prayer for the deceased.

Some scholars believe that All Hallows’ Eve traditions are influenced by a Celtic celebration, the festival of samhainwhich represented the beginning of the new year and the end of summer, as well as the meeting between the world of the living and that of the dead, or from the Roman cult of dea Pomonabut such hypotheses are not universally accepted.

Sahmain festival bonfire.

What is certain is that the celebration of All Hallows’ Eve created some controversies in the 15th centurywhen Europe lost religious unity due to reforms Anglican in England e Lutheran in the central-northern part of the continent. The Reformed Confessions they did not recognize the celebrationwhich was opposed with particular vigor by the British clergy. Christmas Eve, however, continued to be celebrated by Catholics of the British Isles (majority in Ireland and quite numerous in Scotland), while it lost its appeal in continental Europe.

European immigrants they brought the celebration to North America since the seventeenth century, but on the continent the festival became popular only after great waves of immigration of Irish and Scots of the nineteenth centurygradually losing its religious meaning to become a secular occasion. Initially it was celebrated in the family, but in the second half of the twentieth century it gradually transformed into one public holidaywhere events and themed parties are organised.

In recent times the celebration has spread to many countries thanks to American influencereaching continental Europe, Japan, Australia and other territories.

Customs and symbols associated with Halloween

The anniversary of Halloween is accompanied by traditions that have now become part of our imagination. Let’s see where they come from and what their original meanings were.

Trick or treat

One of the best-known Halloween traditions involves children knocking on homes and saying the phrase “trick or treat?” (trick or treat in English). Tradition comes probably from the custom of soul cakes (which was associated with a nursery rhyme: «A soul cake! / A soul cake! / Have mercy on all Christian souls, for a soul cake!»), but perhaps it also has a legacy in the Samhain festival, in which it was traditional to leave food for the dead. In its current form, the trick or treat is attested for the first time to Canada in 1917.

Scary costumes

On Halloween it is common to wear costumes that depict scary images, such as skeletons, vampires or monsters. The tradition probably originates from the habit, widespread in the modern age, of dressing in a frightening manner on the night of All Saints to ward off evil spirits. The current custom was born in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century, but already at the end of the previous century in Scotland and Ireland, children who went to knock on homes were dressed in costume.

Halloween costumes.

Carved pumpkin

The best-known symbol of Halloween is “Jack o’ lantern”, the pumpkin carved in the shape of a human face and equipped with a lantern. The symbol originates from various traditions. First of all, carving vegetables into human form is a widespread custom in many cultures; in the case of Halloween, such “sculptures” were introduced for scare away evil spirits. The carved pumpkin is also associated with a seventeenth-century Irish legendaccording to which a blacksmith named Jack managed to deceive the devil, who had appropriated his soul, but after his death he was condemned to wander for eternity and only use a lantern to light himself.

The custom of turning vegetables into lanterns on the occasion of Halloween was born in the nineteenth century in Ireland and Scotlandwhere turnips were mainly used. In the United States the use of pumpkinsfirst attested in 1837.

Halloween popularity and criticism

Halloween is a holiday today popular throughout the Western worldbut its “capital” remains the Nord America. Just think about that approximately 70% of US citizens participates in the celebration and that in 2022 the overall expenditure in the country has reached the figure of 10.6 billion dollars.

Celebration in New York

The spread of Halloween in continental Europe occurred in recent times and is criticized by part of public opinion and by some religious people, who consider it an American celebration with no ties to Catholic culture. In some cases it even is associated, erroneously, with satanic cults.

Today Halloween is one predominantly commercial partyencouraged by companies and venues. The anniversary enjoys wide acceptance, even in Europe, although in the Old Continent it does not reach the popularity of North America. In Italiafor example, according to them in 2023 Halloween has been celebrated since 60% of familieswith an average expenditure of €66.7 per family unit.

Sources

Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, a cura di Jack Santino, University of Tennessee Press, 1994

Lisa Morton, Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, Reaktion Books, 2013