the history of halloween. where did it come from?
TRANSCRIPT
The History of Halloween
Where did it come from?
Pomona
Roman goddess of fruitful
abundance
Known for carrying a cornucopia
from“pomum”which means fruit
Parentalia
Roman festival of the dead
“ancestral days”, honoring passed
family members
Observed Feb. 13- 21
First pointing towards “spooky” spirits
and ghosts
Celtic Festivals
Samhain- old Irish for “summers end”
Celts felt that spirits and magic were
more present as the cold set in
Built huge bonfires to ward off spirits
Carved turnips
Medieval Christianity
Known as All Saints Day
A time to honor the dead who had
not yet gone to heaven
Another reference to the
“spooky” spirits we think of today
Irish & Scottish Immigrants to America
Brought with them Celtic tradition of Samhain
Originally celebrated in small immigrant communities
Spread to a nationwide holiday and adopted an American fruit, the pumpkin
Why do we call it Halloween?
a Scottish variant of the fuller All-
Hallows-Evening
Hallowmas- another name for All Saints
Day
All Hallows Eve
Hallowtide in Britain
Where do our Halloween “customs” come from?
Costumes
Originates from
Scottish “guising”,
going from house to
house in disguise
Became very
popular in the U.S.
around the 1930’s
because of the
Great Depression
Trick-or-TreatingOriginates in the Middle
Ages
Poor would go door to door
receiving food for prayers
The threat of a trick if one
does not receive a treat
Became popular in the
1950’s
Food & SymbolsPumpkin – native to Americas, was not
originally part of Halloween
A symbol of the harvest
Carving originated in Ireland and Scotland
Immigrants found pumpkins more
available and easier to carve when they
came to America