There are many different theories to explain Halloween‘s beginnings. The most commonly-held belief is that it began as the ancient pagan festival, Samhain. And I believe there is probably some truth to that.
Many Catholics claim the holiday evolved from the Christian observances of All Saints and All Souls. And I believe there is truth to that, as well. In a podcast by a Catholic priest entitled “Halloween: The Real Story,” Father Augustine Thompson presents an interesting historical perspective from a Catholic point of view, and emphasizes that Halloween has nothing to do with devil worship – which opinion I emphatically share, particularly since Christians were the ones who invented the very concept of ‘the devil‘ in the first place. Pagans had no such beliefs. They celebrated nature and the change of seasons – not devil worship or anything that could be considered evil. As far as I’m concerned, it was Christians who invented the concept of evil altogether.
For another interesting historical look at the origins of Halloween, History.com’s “History of Halloween” is very informational, as is LiveScience’s version.
What it comes down to is that, like many of the holidays we celebrate today, the exact roots of Halloween are many and varied and steeped in the depths of our varied history.
I also found a very interesting look at Halloween by NPR in “Halloween for Adults: A Scary History.” This article describes a more recent history of Halloween happenings in America, revealing how Halloween has become an opportunity for adults to party and go a little crazy.
Halloween, though, will always be primarily for the kids – and who doesn’t love to see the little “monsters” going house to house on Halloween night. I often find myself missing the days when my son was little and lov
ed to go trick-or-treating. In many ways I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore, but in other ways I’m sad those days are over – it was just so cute.
So have a Happy Halloween! And remember: Keep those kids SAFE! And for you adults: please use good judgment – here are some safety tips for you: (Expect the Unexpected.) And please:
