Halloween is one of the oldest known holidays still celebrated around the world. Though all cultures do not celebrate Halloween, most have a time of year when it’s believed the spirits of the dead reach out to the living.

The origins of Halloween trace back to the Celtic Pagan religious festival of Samhain. Samhain is halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. It takes place between October 31 and November 1 to welcome the harvest and usher in the “the dark-half” of the year. Samhain is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature from the ninth century. Historically it was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.

Celebrants of Samhain believed the barriers between the physical world and the spiritual world break down during this time allowing the living to communicate with those who have passed away. This also allowed evil or mischievous spirits to enter the world of the living. Celts believed bonfires had protective and cleansing properties to protect the harvest and help them and their livestock survive the winter. To appease the Pagan gods, food and drink were offered and families set a place at their table during the Samhain meal for their deceased loved ones who were thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality.

To disguise themselves from the evil spirits people wore disguises when they went out. This practice became known as mumming as people and later children went door to door in their disguises reciting verses in exchange for small treats. This is the precursor to our modern-day trick or treating. In Ireland, people hollowed out turnips, carved scary faces on them, and placed lit candles inside to leave outside their homes at night to ward off evil or mischievous spirits. They called them jack-o-lanterns after the phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs (also known as will-o’-the-wisps). The name is also tied to the legend of Stingy Jack, a drunk Irishman, who bargained with the devil and was doomed to roam the Earth with only a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. When Irish immigrants came to America, they began to use pumpkins because they were bigger and easier to carve.

In the ninth century, churches in the British Isles designated November 1st as All Saints’ Day – a day to commemorate all saints, and November 2 as All Souls ‘Day – the Day of the Dead which commemorates the faithful departed. In the 10th century, Pope Gregory designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day for the entire Catholic church. In Western Christianity, it is still celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestant churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church, eastern Catholic and Byzantine Lutheran churches celebrate All Saints’ Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The Church of the East and associated Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate it on the first Friday after Easter.

The Mexican festival of Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead is more closely aligned with All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day than with Halloween, but it is a much less solemn occasion. It is supposed to be a day of joyful celebration instead of mourning. Family and friends gather to remember and celebrate the lives of their departed loved ones. Marigolds are the traditional flower used to honor the dead. Families build altars in their homes or public places such as schools or libraries and fill them with flowers, candy, fresh water, drinks, and dishes of their departed loved one’s favorite foods. Often, they place a towel and a basin of water on the altar, so their loved ones can wash-up before enjoying their feast. Pillows and blankets are left outside for the souls to rest after their long journey. During the festival, families go to the cemetery to plant flowers and tend the graves of their loved ones. Sometimes the altars are taken to the cemetery. Gifts of toys are left at children’s graves and gifts of tequila or mezcal and little trinkets on adult graves. In areas of Mexico, people have picnics at their loved ones’ gravesites and may spend the night beside the graves of their relatives.

Sources for this article:

https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/halloween-around-the-world