How did Halloween start and why?
The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. … Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.
What’s the Real History of Halloween—and Why Do We Celebrate It on October 31?
You already know that Halloween takes place on the last day of October, but here’s something you might not know: The word itself literally means “hallowed evening,” and was previously known to early European celebrators as All Hallows’ Eve. All Hallows’ Eve (October 31) and All Saints’ Day (November 1) both paid homage to saints (“hallows” = saints). The name was eventually shortened to “Halloween,” which we know and love to this day.
The pagan and Christian occasions hadn’t always been back to back, though. Up until the 7th century CE, All Hallow’s Eve fell actually on May 13. Perhaps in an attempt to offset the occasion with a religious celebration, Pope Boniface IV ultimately made the call to change the observance to its current November 1 date.
How the mythology of Halloween and witches has shifted throughout history.
“The terms witchcraft and witch derive from Old English wiccecraeft: from wicca (masculine) or wicce (feminine), pronounced ‘witchah’ and ‘witchuh,’ respectively, denoting someone who practices sorcery; and from craeft meaning ‘craft’ or ‘skill,’” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Some of the beliefs surrounding witches is they’re all women, they’re involved with the devil and they wear pointy hats.
Despite the belief all witches are women, during the height of the witch hunts in the 1500s and 1600s, Bailey said across all of Europe about 25 percent of those accused were men.
Another reason why women were disproportionately seen as witches and persecuted is because the magic is associated with witches tends to be related to the traditional feminine sphere.
“One of the original purposes for Halloween was to take some of the bounty from your harvest and to share it with others, lest your ancestors think of you greedy and ungrateful,” practicing witch Taylor explains. “So sharing meals with friends and family is a really great way to invoke the energy of the holiday in the most traditional way.”
If all witches looked like Belle, Id say Happy Halloween everyday!
Happy Halloween!