A brief history of All Hallow’s Eve

The history of Halloween begins with the ancient Celts, who celebrated their new year, marked by the end of the harvest, on November 1st. The festival was known as Samhain (pronounced saw-een) and was a time to honor the dead and to give thanks for the abundant crops that had been harvested. On this day, it was believed that the boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred and that spirits could cross over into the living world. The Celts would light bonfires and wear frightening costumes in an effort to ward off the evil spirits and the “visitors” from the other side.

It became tradition to carry home a burning ember from these bonfires to light candles set out on the porch to ward away evil spirits.

These candles eventually became what we refer to as Jack-o-lanterns. Another method of appeasing the malevolent spirits, as the legend goes, would be to leave out baskets of food, often with sweetened fruits or other “treats”.

Those who failed to do so might instead be met with a cruel “trick” such as falling ill, rotten crops, a mysterious house fire or even the loss of a loved one.

When the Romans conquered the Celts in the first century A.D., they adopted some of the Celtic traditions of Samhain and combined them with their own festivals honoring the dead. The Roman festival of Feralia honored the dead while the festival of Pomona celebrated the goddess of the orchards. The combination of these two festivals, along with the Celtic traditions of Samhain, eventually be-

See WILBURN, page A9

Don Wilburn Times Staff Commentary WILBURN

From page A4

came known as All Hallows’ Eve, or Hallowe’en.

The customs of Halloween continued to evolve over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, it became a popular time for people to gather and tell ghost stories and fortune telling. In the 19th century, the Irish brought their own traditions to the United States, such as the custom of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns to ward off evil spirits.

By the 20th century, Halloween had become a popular holiday in the United States.

It is now celebrated with costume parties, trick-or-treating, bonfires, and other activities.

Today, Halloween is still celebrated all over the world.

While the traditions and rituals may have changed, the holiday still honors the dead and celebrates the abundance of the harvest season.

Whether you go trick-or-treating, carve a jack-o’-lantern, or just sit around a bonfire telling ghost stories, Halloween is a time to remember the past and celebrate the present.

Don Wilburn is a staff reporter the the Evening Times.

He’s seen The Exorcist about a hundred and sixty- seven times and it keeps ketting funnier every single time.