Halloween 2025: All About History And Evolution Of This Spooky Festival

Halloween, a spooky festival linked to lesser-known ancient traditions, is celebrated in many countries on October 31. The history, which spans over 2,000 years, is blended with Celtic and Christian cultures.

Ancient Celtic Origins

Earlier, Celts lived in what is now Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom. They used to celebrate the festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was believed that this particular time, the barrier between the living and the dead was so thin that spirits of the dead would return to the world of the living.

"The period of transition between the living and the dead was probably always scary, and people held strong beliefs in those ritual practices that dealt with the separation between the living and the dead," Chris DeCorse, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said as quoted by Syracuse University Today.

Christian Influence

Halloween has also been influenced by Christians. The early Christian church attempted to eliminate the pagan traditions of the Celts as Christianity spread throughout Europe. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st as All Saints' Day, which was a day to honour all Christian saints and martyrs. And the evening before All Saints' Day became All Hallows' Eve, shortened as Halloween.

How do we celebrate Halloween today?

Nowadays, the festival has become a major commercial event, with billions of dollars spent on costumes, decorations and candy each year. People wear scary costumes to disguise themselves from spirits, and children go door-to-door asking for treats.

How we celebrate Halloween is basically a blend of both Celtic Origins and Christian Influence. For example, the costume tradition dates back to the Celtic era, when people would wear costumes and masks to disguise themselves from spirits. Meanwhile, trick-or-treating has its roots in the medieval practice of "souling," where poor people would go door-to-door asking for food and other treats. The tradition of carving pumpkins originated in Ireland, where people would carve faces into vegetables to ward off spirits.