What are the origins of halloween?

Question

How'd it get started?

Yes.. I've heard of samhain.

Answer 1

Halloween, also known as Samhain (sow-in, sow-een, sah-veen), is a Celtic holiday which honors the ancestors and the dead. It has survived until the present day like many other pagan holidays. Samhain means "summer's end" and also marks the end of the Celtic year.

In Irish mythology Samhain is the final harvest festival and marks the time when the Dagda (The Father of the Gods) ritually mated with the Morrigan (The Goddess of Death and Sexuality). It is also the time when the Dagda was tricked into eating so much that he became impotent for a short while.

Something that many are not aware of is that the Ancient Celts were headhunters. The skull or head was considered to be the seat of the soul and retrieving the head of an enemy meant control of that person. Many a Celt had skulls or heads in their possession and would dig them out for this special day. Later it became common to carve turnips into skulls and later still the act of pumpkin carving began.

Because this was the last night of the year it was thought that this night was a night of chaos, a night when the dead could walk and spirits roamed the land. The people would set their horses free and release their livestock across the land. Because the dead may seek vengeance it became common practice to wear costumes or to disguise oneself in order to fool harmful spirits and prevent harm.

Another tradition was to light a candle and put it in the window in order to guide the souls of loved ones on this night of the undead. Now, they flicker in our pumpkins.

That's what I recall off the top O' my noggin.

Answer 2

Halloween started as All Hallow's Eve (All Holy Evening), the day before All Saints Day, which is November 1st.

This was set to align with the Celtic holiday which celebrated the first day of the year and the beginning of winter. The Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead on the night before Nov 1. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead—including ghosts, goblins and witches—returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.

In 835 the Pope of the time moved a springtime Christian festival to Nov 1, and the night before the festival was renamed and eventually shortened to Halloween.

Answer 3

Halloween is actually short for "All Hallows Eve" which was the day before "All Hallows Day" or "All Saint's Day." It originated from the CATHLOIC CHURCH because "All Saint's Day" was the day they honored all the Saints.

For the Irish Celtics, October 31st was also the last day of summer and the first day of the year, The Celtic new Year, called Samhain.

The tradition was brought to America by the Irish.

Answer 4

irish celtic people made it up.
here is some better info.

History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. We follow them mostly as did our dads and grandpas. And as this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions. At one point of time it leaves us puzzled, with its multicolored faces. Digging into its history helps sieve out the facts from the fantasies which caught us unaware. Yet, doubts still lurk deep in our soul, especially when the reality differs from what has taken a deep seated root into our beliefs. The history of Halloween Day, as culled from the net, is being depicted here in this light. This is to help out those who are interested in washing off the superficial hues to reach the core and know things as they truly are. 'Trick or treat' may be an innocent fun to relish on the Halloween Day. But just think about a bunch of frightening fantasies and the scary stories featuring ghosts, witches, monsters, evils, elves and animal sacrifices associated with it. They are no more innocent. Are these stories a myth or there is a blend of some reality? Come and plunge into the halloween history to unfurl yourself the age-old veil of mysticism draped around it.
halloween history

bobbingBehind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them.

Answer 5

Nobody really knows. Maybe a long time ago, a really brave explorer might have been spooked by a ghoul, or that villigers actually saw a zombie that was looking for a body. I say that it's to celebrate the spooks and supernatural. And did you know that Mexico has a "festival of the dead" thing? I think it originated from that.

Answer 6

Worshipers of the devil Belived that if they didn't leave treats out on All Hollow's Eve spirts would trick them