The History of Halloween

Halloween is one of our all-time favorite holidays. Here are some interesting facts:

1. Halloween, originating from the Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain, dates back to 5 B.C. On this day, "spirits rose from the dead and mingled with the living." The Celts left food at their doors to encourage good spirits and wore masks to scare off the bad ones.

2. Halloween had a hard time catching on in America. But, barn raisings, quilting bees, and taffy pulls eventually led to a Fall holiday called the Autumn Play Party. People would gather and tell ghost stories, dance and sing and feast and light bonfires. Children would stage a school pageant where they paraded in costumes.

3. After the Industrial revolution, city life made less than 5% of the population celebrating with the Autumn parties. Episcopal and Protestant religions began a campaign to put such holidays on public calendars. In the late 1800's there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and less about the supernatural.

4. The first official citywide Halloween U.S. celebration occurred in Anoka, Minn., in 1921. During this time period, Halloween became a community centered holiday celebrated with parades and town parties. In the 1950's vandalism and "tricks" were common, so treats were handed out in order to prevent this.

5. Halloween is the country's second largest commercial holiday to the tune of more than $2 billion spent on candy each year.

6. The modern name, Halloween comes from "All Hallows' Eve. " "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is just another name for All Saints' Day. Eventually, it became abbreviated to "Hallowe'en" and then "Halloween."