Celtic Society’s Fear of Spirits Became Halloween

More than 2,000 years ago, ancient Celts paid homage to spirits of the dead in a celebration they called Samhain. It was a somber pagan ritual that began their new year on the current date of November 1st. That celebration evolved into what we call Halloween.  

The Celts used the start of November to mark the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter. They believed the transition between the seasons provided an open door between the worlds of the living and the dead. That opening allowed fearful creatures among the dead access to the population. The Celts devised rituals that would protect them from evil spirits. Samhain, the night of the dead, was their yearly defense from an invasion of ghosts and evil spirits that wanted to steal harvested crops and personal property from the Celts.

The night before Samhain eventually became known as All Hallows’ Eve. That’s when the people would dress in costumes that were designed to be gruesome and frightful. By disguising themselves, the Celts hoped to fool the nighttime visitors from stealing from them. They left food, drink and sweet treats on their doorsteps the night before and through Samhain to help appease the evil spirits to not ruin their crops. That led to our tradition of giving candy to children who come to our doors on Halloween.  

Celtic societies populated the European areas we know as Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France from 300 B.C. until 600 A.D.  They lived in the midst of the Iron Age in Medieval Europe with an agrarian culture that depended on their skills in planting crops for existence. The fear of crop failures was what motivated the Celts to cater to their superstitions of ghosts invading their society.

The ritual of celebrating the dead became an important Christian celebration called All Saints Day.  In the 8th Century, Pope Gregory III made November 1st the official day of celebrating the lives of canonized saints in the Catholic Church. The Samhain celebration informally designated All Hallows Eve on October 31^st, giving people an excuse to party the night before a day of prayer.

Today we give candy and treats to children dressed in Halloween costumes. Without realizing it, we are celebrating a pagan tradition. Kids come to the door on Halloween and threaten a trick or treat. Through this ritual, the children represent visitors from the dead who demand a treat or they will inflict mischief against the homeowner.

According to the Nielsen Research Company, Americans buy 90 million pounds of chocolate candy yearly during Halloween week. That’s more chocolate than the amounts bought during the weeks of both Easter and Valentine’s Day. Hard candy purchases more than double the amount of chocolate bought for Halloween.

The amazing amount of candy bought in the United States to give away on October 31st is motivated from pagan superstitions of an extinct society from 2,000 years ago. When trick-or-treaters come to our doors asking for candy, we don’t consciously make the connection that the treats we give them are meant to appease them from inflicting terrible harm to us.  

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