How did a several-thousand-year-old holiday make its way to America? Why? World-wide, this time of year is historically the new year, holding spiritual significance in many cultures. The Hindu new year falls at this time, many Native Americans hold sacred dances, and ancient Egyptians celebrated Isis. For the ancient Celts, Samhain (pronounced "SAW-en"), November 1, was literally the day between the years, and means roughly "summer's end."

This "between years" time was regarded in almost every culture as one when the spirits of the dead could return to mingle with the living; the living, with spiritual preparations differing from culture to culture, could also visit the world of the dead and return unharmed. Most Indo-European peoples and Native Americans held feasts at this time of year to honor their ancestors.

The spirits of departed ancestors, (in nearly all cultures until recently), were regarded as valuable guides, holders of "all the knowledge that went before"; the Druids, Egyptians, Greeks, Native Americans, and others, had rites meant to facilitate contact with these "Spirit Guides." Fire was a symbol of divinity and purification, and thus the lighting of fires and candles for rituals became a common source of spiritual energy which is still seen today in many religions, most commonly Catholicism and Paganism.

The Roman church, unable to stop the Pagan holidays, took them over and renamed them All Hallows Evening (October 31, now shortened to Hallowe'en), All Saints Day (November 1), and All Souls Day (November 2); the tradition of honoring the spirits of the dead continued. Though in Christianity spirits are not generally considered to remain within the realm of the living, praying for them is still an important ritual in most denominations. All Saints Day in Mexico is referred to as The Day of the Dead.

Hallowe'en in America owes much to the ancients, especially the Celts, since our country was settled by their British descendants. Dressing in odd costumes harks back specifically to the Celts, who mainly masqueraded as ghosts and skeletons due to the original purpose of the holiday. The Celts also began the customs of begging door-to-door and playing harmless pranks on those who are not forthcoming with goodies. Early "treats" included money, bread and butter, and autumn harvest items such as apples, nuts, and carrots. Milk, especially milk which had the cream on top, was thought to be a particularly good "haul,"like getting ten of your favorite candy bars today. Pumpkins were added to the scene here in America, since they, like tobacco, were unknown in Europe before the New World was "discovered."

Such time-honored tricks as overturning outhouses (in older times these were simply outbuildings such as chicken coops, not bathrooms) and removing gates from their hinges also go back to the Celts. Nowadays, these rural tricks have evolved into urban ones like soaping windows, toilet-papering yards, and smashing "Jack-O'Lanterns." Anything truly harmful is not in the tradition and would be considered an insult to the visiting ancestral spirits.

Some fundamentalist Christians believe Samhain to be, or to have been, a time of blood sacrifices. Though Hallowe'en is of Pagan origin, the vast majority of Pagan cultures did not hold such sacrifices. Even among the few whose rituals did commonly include such slaughter, like the Aztecs and the Romans, there is no evidence of any set specifically aside for these days. It was a time for honoring the dead, not adding to their numbers.

Illustration by: Kevin Wood