A brief history of Halloween

It’s spooky season folks (tbh all year ’round is spooky for us).

Wanna know a lil’ of the histoire behind Halloween? It wasn’t always bobbin’ apples and pumpkin patches ya know.

So back when, the Celtics would celebrate Samhain, which was all about the end of the Celtic year, which was like NYE for them. During this time, it was believed that the barriers between the physical and spirit world were broken down, allowing people to speak more with spirits. 

The family’s ancestors were invited, but more harmful spirits were cleared off with people’s costumes and masks. It was thought they’d were also seen as harmful spirits themselves, which would scare the ghosts away. Plus they burned bonfires, so that’s fun. 

Down the line, Christian missionaries said that the deities that were worshipped on Samhein were evil, so people who followed the Celtics’ religion, were branded as witches. The word ‘Halloween” came about when the poet Robert Burns used it in a poem, of the same name. It’s two words smooshed together, “Hallow” which means holy person (referring to the saints celebrated on All Saints' Day, which is Nov 1) and “een” which means “eve” or evening before. Aka, the night before All Saints' Day, which was a Christian tradition to celebrate the saints departing. 

So we dress up, because the traditions came from the Celts, trying to ward off evil spirits! Although they probably never did the whole sexy nurse thing. They’d also go from door to door, performing plays or doing prayers for passed loved ones, in exchange for food or ‘soul cakes’. Sounds v.similar to trick or treating right? But that didn’t become popular worldwide until WW21 - in Canada’s Letbridge Herald. The paper wrote: ‘The youthful tormentors were at back door and front demanding edible plunder by the word “trick or treat” to which the inmates gladly responded and sent the robbers away rejoicing.’

So there we go folks. Consider that a brief history of Halloween!

P.S did you know we’re doing a Halloween virtual pop up store? You can find and book spiritual services and products for one week only, from the 29th of October!