Origins• Halloween began two thousand years ago in Ireland, England, and Northern France • It originates from Paganism, the ancient religion of the Celts They celebrated their New Year on November 1st • This time of year was often associated with human death because it marked the beginning of a dark, cold winter. Samhain (sow-in) • On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain • On this date, they believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Costumes • People believed that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes… So they wore costumes. The Christian Influence • In the 7th century, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands • Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs • This replaced the Pagan festival of Samhain and occurred on May 13th A change of date • In 834, Pope Gregory III moved All Saint's Day from May 13th to Nov. 1st • So, Oct. 31st became “All Hallows' Eve” ('hallow' means 'saint'). All Souls Day • All Souls Day, which occurred on November 2nd, was a day to commemorate (to honour and remember) the dead • This date was set by the Roman Catholic Church Trick-or-treating began with the poor in the 15th century… • During the All Souls Day festival in England, poor people would beg for “soul cakes” • Soul cakes were square pieces of bread with currants • Families would give soul cakes in return for a promise to pray for the family’s relatives then children… • Begging for soul cakes was referred to as "going a-souling" • Children began to participate, and they would visit the houses in their neighborhood and receive ale, food, and money Today… • Children still go from house-tohouse, but instead of ale, food, and money, they get candy! How did Halloween start in North America? • Due to the potato famine, in 1848 millions of Irish emigrants came to America • In America, they continued their traditions of Halloween Thus, Halloween came to America • They called Halloween Oidche Shamhna (`Night of Samhain') • This was the name that their ancestors referred to Halloween as The Jack-O-Lantern • The Irish used to carry turnips with candles in them • This was to light their way at night and to scare away ghosts • When they arrived in America, they found that pumpkins were easier to carve than turnips • America also had large quantities of pumpkins available Now, people use Jack-o-Lanterns to decorate their houses! Carving Jack-O-Lanterns has become an art form Today people dress up… Go to parties… Take their kids trick-or-treating.… Watch scary movies… Eat lots of candy… And sweets! If you don’t give candy to a trick-ortreater… This could happen to you! Happy Halloween Everyone! And now, a quiz… • What ancient Celtic religion is Halloween based on? • Paganism • When did the Celts celebrate their New Year? • November 1st • On October during Samhain, what did the Celts believe would happen? st, 31 • The ghosts of the dead would return and roam the earth • Why did the ancient Celts dress up in costume? • They believed it would keep them safe and confuse the ghosts • What is “ Halloween” short for? • All Hallows Eve • On November the church set aside this date to commemorate the dead. What is it called? nd, 2 • All Souls Day • What was customary for poor people to beg for? • Soul Cakes • Who brought Halloween to America? • The Irish • What vegetable did the Irish traditionally carry to ward off evil spirits? • The Turnip! • In America, why did the Irish use pumpkins instead of turnips? • It was easier to carve, and there were massive amounts of pumpkins available in America Happy Halloween Everyone!