Samhain & Celtic RootsNo. 2906 · The 2026 edition
The Thousand-Year History of Halloween
Unearth the ancient origins of Halloween, from Celtic harvest festivals to modern trick-or-treating.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at britannica.com.
Explore how Halloween evolved over 1,000 years, starting with the Celtic festival of Samhain, blending with Roman traditions, and transforming into the spooky holiday we know today.
About this
A Britannica video transcript tracing Halloween's roughly thousand-year evolution from the ancient Celtic harvest festival of Samhain through Christian holidays like All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, to Irish vegetable carving and the American pumpkin jack-o'-lantern. It explains how the holiday became a largely secular celebration and one of the primary holidays in the United States by the 20th century.
Facts from the original
- Halloween today is a secular celebration rooted in the Celtic harvest festival Samhain.
- Samhain was observed in ancient Britain and Ireland on November 1.
- Samhain marked the midpoint between the autumn equinox and winter solstice and the new year's beginning.
- It coincided with the seasonal harvest and the start of winter preparations.
- Celts believed the veil between the mortal and supernatural was thinnest that day.
- Priests held rituals and people lit bonfires to scare away supernatural beings.
- People wore masks to disguise themselves from ghosts, faeries, and demons roaming that night.
- In the 7th century Pope Boniface IV established All Saints' Day in May.
- All Saints' Day was later moved to November 1, perhaps to overshadow pagan Samhain traditions.
- Another possible reason for the move was that more resources were available at harvest time.
- The night before, October 31, became All Saints' Eve or All Hallows' Eve, hence Halloween.
- All Souls' Day was later proclaimed on November 2.
- October 31 through November 2 are together sometimes called Allhallowtide.
- By the end of the 15th century All Hallows' Eve had blended sacred and secular elements.
- Secular celebrations remained especially strong in Britain, Ireland, and Scotland.
- An 1800s Irish custom carved turnips, potatoes, or beets into frightening faces to scare spirits.
- Those carved designs evolved to hold candles because metal lanterns were prohibitively expensive.
- A museum in Ireland still exhibits a preserved 'ghost turnip.'
- Irish immigrants arrived in the United States in the mid-1800s to escape the Great Famine.
- They brought their Halloween traditions with them to America.
- Native American pumpkins and gourds proved especially suitable for carving, giving rise to jack-o'-lanterns.
- Halloween became one of the primary United States holidays by the 20th century.
- The United States now spends $3 billion on candy annually.
From the original
Halloween's origins stretch back thousands of years to the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain, observed in ancient Britain and Ireland on November 1. Samhain fell halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice and marked the start of the new year, coinciding with the harvest and preparations for winter. The Celts believed the boundary between the mortal world and the supernatural was thinnest then; priests performed rituals and people lit bonfires to keep dark forces away, while masks were worn to hide from the ghosts, faeries, and demons thought to wander that night. In the 7th century Pope Boniface IV set All Saints' Day in May, but its date was later shifted to November 1, perhaps to overshadow Samhain's pagan customs or because harvest resources were plentiful then. That made October 31 All Saints' Eve, or All Hallows' Eve, which became Halloween. All Souls' Day later joined on November 2, and the three days together are sometimes called Allhallowtide. By the late 15th century All Hallows' Eve blended sacred and secular, with folk customs thriving in Britain, Ireland, and Scotland. In 1800s Ireland people carved turnips, potatoes, or beets into scary faces to ward off spirits, later adding candles because metal lanterns were too costly. When Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine arrived in the mid-1800s they carried these traditions to America, where native pumpkins proved ideal for carving, giving us the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween became a major U.S. holiday by the 20th century.
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