With all of the tricks and treats that comes with it, we all love Halloween, don’t we? There are so many exciting aspects to it that nowadays, the spookiest time of year isn’t actually that spooky – it’s just plain fun! Whether you love the costumes, scary movies or just the sweets and chocolates, there’s something for everyone. But where did these traditions come from? Join us as we take a look back at the history of Halloween.
Origins of Halloween
The origins of Halloween can be traced back to an ancient festival called Samhain. It was a Celtic new year celebration and marked the beginning of winter. It was believed that on the night before the new year, the barriers between the worlds of the living and the dead were obscured. This meant that the souls of the dead would return to roam the Earth. In a bid to protect their valuable crops from the spirits, towns burned huge and sacred bonfires.
When the Romans ruled the Celtic lands, several of their own festivals merged with Samhain and over hundreds of years they were eventually absorbed into All Saints Day in the eighth century. This traditionally took place on the first day of November and celebrated all the saints of the Christian church. As the two were merged, the night before All Saints Day became known as All Hallows Eve, which over time became Hallows Eve and ultimately Halloween. Throughout history, numerous festivals celebrating the dead, saints and new life have drawn inspiration from each other. This has traditions have continued to evolve over time, with many of the traditions we enjoy at Halloween today having ancient roots.
Why do we Carve Pumpkins?
Hollowing out and carving a pumpkin is definitely the messiest part of Halloween. Commonly known as Jack o’Lanterns, kids in particular love the activity, whilst you can’t argue that the end results are breath taking.
The first ever Jack o’Lantern, however, was a turnip! A trickster from an Irish legend, Stingy Jack Fooled the Devil not once, but twice. Soon after tricking the Devil, Jack died but was not allowed into Heaven. He tried to get into Hell, but the Devil sent him away with nothing but a burning coal to light his way. Jack hollowed out a turnip and put the coal in it. As he roamed the Earth, the Irish began calling him Jack of the Lantern. They also began carving out their own Jack o’Lanterns from turnips and potatoes and placed them in the windows of their homes. They hoped that these would ward off Stingy Jack and any other evil spirits!
Using pumpkins to make Jack o’Lanterns wasn’t common until British people moved to America and took their tradition with them. Pumpkins were a native fruit to America and they made bigger and better lanterns! This tradition then grew in the United States, and eventually pumpkin lanterns spread far and wide and became a symbol of Halloween.
When did trick or treating start?
As part of All Souls’ Day – a Christian celebration very similar to Samhain – people would honour the dead and the passing of their souls. This can be traced back over 1000 years, and poorer people within the community would knock on the doors of wealthier families and promise to pray for the souls of their dead relatives in return for pastries. This then transformed into an activity for children, who would go door to door asking for gifts of food, drink or money.
A similar traditions happened with youngsters took place in Scotland and Ireland and was called ‘guising’. This is where both dressing up and the notion of trick comes into the equation! Dressed in costumes, children would go to various houses and earn a treat. Once they had performed their poem, song or whatever their chosen trick was, they would be rewarded with treats.
Much later, in the early 20th century, there are old newspaper stories that cite young pranksters demanding ‘trick or treat’. If they weren’t given a treat, they would play tricks that often imitated the supernatural, such as tying doors shut or rattling shutters. The demands lead to people offering out sweets in a bid to avoid being pranked.
Halloween as We Know It
It was in America that Halloween was first celebrated in ways that closely resembled the traditions of today. Halloween parties in the first half of the 20th century were events for the whole town, including parades and parties for everyone. Over time, these became more and more focused on the younger generation and moved from town halls and into classrooms. Eventually it became the norm to host a Halloween party at home, which paved the way for Halloween costume parties as so many people do today.
Modern Halloween really began to take shape in the period that followed the Second World War, though. Sweets and chocolates were no longer rationed and the suburban neighbourhoods meant it was easy for kids to go door to door. It was easier for people to hand out individually wrapped sweets than fruits and nuts like before and this unsurprisingly lead to a regrowth in the popularity of trick or treating.
Riding this wave of admiration, the holiday ventured away from it’s religious and spiritual roots and headed in a new direction. Whereas people used to make their own costumes at home, suddenly they could buy readymade costumes modelled on their favourite characters from television and movies.
Halloween movies were introduced in America, too. The most famous may be 1978’s Halloween from the Halloween franchise, but it was by no means the first! Spooky cinema can be traced back as far as 1929 with Bouncing Babies. This short was part of the Our Gang series of short films and featured the cast performing pranks whilst wearing Halloween costumes.
As each of these traditions caught on, they also made their way back to Britain and shaped the way Halloween is celebrated this side of the Atlantic – and it shows! From the sweets and costumes of trick or treating, to the movies and the carving pumpkins, it’s safe to say that they’ve stuck here in Britain!
We adore every aspect of Halloween here at Wholesale Sweets. From fancy dress and trick or treating to scary movies, we can’t get enough! There are so many ways to get into the Halloween spirit, and if you’ve enjoyed learning about the history of the holiday, you’ll probably love our Halloween Quiz, too.
Whatever Halloween sweets you’re looking for this year, you’ll find them here at Wholesale Sweets. We have Halloween pick n mix that’s perfect for parties, and all of the most popular chocolate bars and sweets that trick or treaters are sure to enjoy. As with all of our bulk sweets, we’ll deliver them directly to your door!
