Halloween: What Was Halloween Called?

What Was Halloween Originally Called?

Halloween is ancient, once religious, holiday that is observed annually on the last day of October. Halloween has a rich history and has been linked to many different cultural heritages over the years. There has been a lot of debate regarding the origins and the original name of the holiday. In order to discuss the original name of Halloween, one must look to the past for clues to the origin of the holiday itself.

What Was the First Halloween Called?
It is widely accepted by historians that the first instance of Halloween can be found over 2,000 years ago, with the Celt people. Early Scottish and Irish historical documents mention a celebration known as Samhain, that was observed at the same time Halloween is observed today. Samhain depicted a time when the Celts would celebrate the end of summer, the ushering in of the winter months, and the harvest. The Celts were documented as wearing costumes

because their beliefs in magic and ghosts, led them to believe that they needed to disguise themselves from ghosts.

Samhain was a time for the community to come together.

The Celts lived off the land, and with any culture that lives off the land, a certain belief in magic and gods is required. The Celtic people appointed priests known as Druids. These Druids were believed to magic wielders that could divine the future on certain nights, such as Samhain. The Druids were responsible for predicting the upcoming harshness of the winter and helping the Celts to prepare to survive the cold winters.

A large bomb fire was built in the middle of the settlement, and families would gather around the bomb fire and celebrate the last day of the Celtic year. The Celts would take the night of Samhain and celebrate as well as honour the ones that they lost the previous winter. The veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest, which led many people to dawn costumes in order to blend in with any potential ghosts that might have returned to possess a living body and extract revenge on those that might have done them harm.

The Roman Catholic

Influence
Once the Catholic Religion started gaining momentum, many ancient religions were destroyed or forgotten. The Catholic Religion took Samhain and twisted it to fit a more Catholic mold. The magic that the Druids practices was erased and instead of celebrating the harvest, Catholics were told to use the day to remember the dead and to offer their prayers so that their loved one might reach Heaven. A new tradition of souling, the precursor to trick or treating, was introduced. Souling allowed the poor to gain meals in exchange for prayers, which were important in the Catholic faith. The old gods were banished along with the name Samhain. In the place of Samhain, the Catholics renamed the day with the name All Hallows Eve, and it became part of the triad of hallows. Over the years All Hallows Eve has been shortened into the more modern Halloween.