The Strange History of Halloween

Discover the eerie evolution of Halloween from ancient rituals to modern festivities.

Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at thenotsoinnocentsabroad.com.

Explore the surprising origins of Halloween, tracing back to Celtic harvest festivals and Roman traditions, and how it transformed into the spooky celebration we know today.

About this

A short blog-style article from The Not So Innocents Abroad that explores the pagan roots of Halloween, tracing the holiday back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. It explains why the night is linked with divination, spirits and protection rituals, and asks how those origins turned into modern traditions like pumpkin carving, costumes and trick-or-treating. The piece is largely a framing text for an infographic by the author, Wally Wright, designed by Kevin LeVick, that ran on a since-defunct website.

Facts from the original

The article was published on October 24, 2016 in the Festivals category of The Not So Innocents Abroad, written by Wally Wright.

The author's office manager dreads Halloween, viewing it as an evil night when devils, witches, demons and ghouls literally roam the streets.

Many people love Halloween because it is a chance to become someone else for a night and embrace their dark (or sexy) sides.

To the pre-Christian Celts of Western Europe, the festival was called Samhain, pronounced 'sow-en'.

Samhain is a term still used by Wiccans.

Samhain is the one day of the year when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.

The thin veil makes it the ideal opportunity to try to glimpse into the future.

Divination spells work best on All Hallow's E'en.

Young women would try to glimpse their future lover's face in the mirror on Halloween night.

Suggested Samhain spells include 'Contact a Deceased Loved One' and 'See a Vision of Your True Love'.

Witches, black cats and jack-o'-lanterns have become associated with Halloween.

Ghosts and other unpleasant wraiths can invade the world of the living once darkness falls, so people felt they had to protect themselves.

The article asks how these origins led to the traditions of carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, and asking for candy with thinly veiled threats of mischief.

The page features an infographic written by Wally Wright and designed by Kevin LeVick for a website that is now defunct.

The page also lists related posts: 'Gruesome Facts (and Helpful Tips) About the Paris Catacombs' and '21 Vintage Halloween Photos That Are So Creepy They'll Give You Nightmares'.

The post is tagged: folklore, festivals, usa, england, ireland, halloween, ghosts, britain.

The site describes itself as a travel blog that goes beyond the basics to cover history, food, religion, folklore, arts and crafts, and world customs and subcultures.

From the original

This page, published on October 24, 2016 by Wally Wright under the Festivals category of The Not So Innocents Abroad, examines the strange origins of Halloween. It opens by noting how divisive the holiday is: the author's religious office manager dreads it as an evil night when devils, witches, demons and ghouls roam the streets, while others love it precisely as a chance to become someone else for an evening and embrace their dark or sexy sides. The article then traces the holiday back to the pre-Christian Celts of Western Europe, who called it Samhain (pronounced 'sow-en'), a term still used by Wiccans today. According to the piece, Samhain is the one night of the year when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest, making it an ideal time for divination spells, which supposedly work best on All Hallow's E'en. One example given is that young women would try to catch a glimpse of their future lover's face in a mirror on Halloween night; readers are also invited to try spells to contact a deceased loved one or see a vision of their true love. The same thin veil, however, lets ghosts and unpleasant wraiths invade the world of the living after dark, so people felt compelled to protect themselves. The article poses how these origins led to carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, dressing in costumes, and demanding candy with thinly veiled threats of mischief, and presents an infographic by the author (designed by Kevin LeVick) that originally ran on a now-defunct website. It is tagged with folklore, festivals, usa, england, ireland, halloween, ghosts and britain.