history of halloween
00:00:00:00
Days / Hrs / Mins / Secs
2,000 years ago
1300 - 1500
1620 - 1690
1930 - today
Fun Facts
Origins of Halloween traditions: first centuries A.D.
Halloween history throughout the Middle Ages
Halloween history after the colonization of America
Halloween celebrations in the modern day
Learn more about Halloween's history
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Halloween history after the colonization of America
The ‘All Hallows Eve’ celebration came to America on the Pilgrim ships, and over time, it began to merge with the natives’ customs. During the 1620’s and throughout the 1690’s, a spark of anxiety regarding witchcraft practices grew into a full-on raging paranoia. This fear swept through the new continent and culminated with the Salem Witch trials. It’s also around this time that witches and black cats were adopted into the folk stories and eventually found their way into the Halloween tradition (Office, 2021).
Origins of Halloween traditions: first centuries A.D.
The roots of Halloween are found in the Celtic festival named ‘Samhain’. The Celts lit massive bonfires during harvest time, at the midpoint between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. Samhain was equally about celebrating the harvest season and wearing costumes as protection against evil spirits. After the roman conquest of their lands by 43 A.D., the Celtic celebration was incorporated into Feralia and Pomona. The former is a festival held in the honor of the dead and the latter a praise to the goddess of fruit. Skip forward about 600 years, and we’re witnessing the establishment of an ‘All Martyrs Day’ by Pope Boniface IV. This act sets the stage for final absorption of Halloween into the Christian tradition when Pope Gregory IV merges it with the ‘All Saints Day’ set on November 1st (Java, 2014).
Halloween celebrations in the modern day
Haunted houses became a trend during the 1930s when parents became concerned about their kids running around door-to-door unsupervised. While mass production for Halloween costumes got kickstarter at the beginning of the century, it wasn’t until the 1950s that these getups were seen as mainstream. Halloween costumes were originally inspired by classic novels like Dracula or Frankenstein, but soon the comic book industry started cashing in on the celebration. With regards to the movie industry, John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ is credited as the first gory film in 1978, which paved the way for the classic Halloween horror films we know and love today (Office, 2021).
Halloween history throughout the Middle Ages
In Europe, we’re witnessing a rise in the popularity of the All Hallows Eve (October 31st), All Hallows Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd). Meanwhile, on the yet undiscovered continent of America, the Aztecs are holding their own ‘honor the dead’ festival. This festival will eventually develop into what nowadays we know as ‘Día de Los Muertos’, celebrated across Mexico and even in some parts of the US (Office, 2021).
Fun Facts
- A full moon brightens the sky once every 19 Halloweens.
- The average American eats about 3.4 pounds of Halloween candy (the weight of a small chihuahua in a Halloween costume!).
- In Germany, it's tradition for people to hide their knives on Halloween night. The goal is to prevent returning spirits from getting injured.
- People originally carved turnips instead of pumpkins.
(Mcafee, 2024).
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Transcript
history of halloween
00:00:00:00
Days / Hrs / Mins / Secs
2,000 years ago
1300 - 1500
1620 - 1690
1930 - today
Fun Facts
Origins of Halloween traditions: first centuries A.D.
Halloween history throughout the Middle Ages
Halloween history after the colonization of America
Halloween celebrations in the modern day
Learn more about Halloween's history
See images
See images
See images
See images
history of halloween
Go back
history of halloween
Go back
history of halloween
Go back
history of halloween
Go back
Halloween history after the colonization of America
The ‘All Hallows Eve’ celebration came to America on the Pilgrim ships, and over time, it began to merge with the natives’ customs. During the 1620’s and throughout the 1690’s, a spark of anxiety regarding witchcraft practices grew into a full-on raging paranoia. This fear swept through the new continent and culminated with the Salem Witch trials. It’s also around this time that witches and black cats were adopted into the folk stories and eventually found their way into the Halloween tradition (Office, 2021).
Origins of Halloween traditions: first centuries A.D.
The roots of Halloween are found in the Celtic festival named ‘Samhain’. The Celts lit massive bonfires during harvest time, at the midpoint between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. Samhain was equally about celebrating the harvest season and wearing costumes as protection against evil spirits. After the roman conquest of their lands by 43 A.D., the Celtic celebration was incorporated into Feralia and Pomona. The former is a festival held in the honor of the dead and the latter a praise to the goddess of fruit. Skip forward about 600 years, and we’re witnessing the establishment of an ‘All Martyrs Day’ by Pope Boniface IV. This act sets the stage for final absorption of Halloween into the Christian tradition when Pope Gregory IV merges it with the ‘All Saints Day’ set on November 1st (Java, 2014).
Halloween celebrations in the modern day
Haunted houses became a trend during the 1930s when parents became concerned about their kids running around door-to-door unsupervised. While mass production for Halloween costumes got kickstarter at the beginning of the century, it wasn’t until the 1950s that these getups were seen as mainstream. Halloween costumes were originally inspired by classic novels like Dracula or Frankenstein, but soon the comic book industry started cashing in on the celebration. With regards to the movie industry, John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ is credited as the first gory film in 1978, which paved the way for the classic Halloween horror films we know and love today (Office, 2021).
Halloween history throughout the Middle Ages
In Europe, we’re witnessing a rise in the popularity of the All Hallows Eve (October 31st), All Hallows Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd). Meanwhile, on the yet undiscovered continent of America, the Aztecs are holding their own ‘honor the dead’ festival. This festival will eventually develop into what nowadays we know as ‘Día de Los Muertos’, celebrated across Mexico and even in some parts of the US (Office, 2021).
Fun Facts
- A full moon brightens the sky once every 19 Halloweens.
- The average American eats about 3.4 pounds of Halloween candy (the weight of a small chihuahua in a Halloween costume!).
- In Germany, it's tradition for people to hide their knives on Halloween night. The goal is to prevent returning spirits from getting injured.
- People originally carved turnips instead of pumpkins.
(Mcafee, 2024).