Over 2,000 years ago, the Celtic New Year began on the first day of November. The Celts celebrated a number of Festivals throughout the year and Samhain was a solemn occasion in respect of the end of summer and start of winter. The beginning of the Celtic New Year marked a time when darkness overwhelmed the world and the earth would become barren and cold. Death was not feared but accepted just as the ancient Celts respected the ever changing cycles of the seasons. The year was divided into four cycles and the start of each one would be observed through rituals of festivals, feasting and sacrifice.
The ancient Celts believed that during the night before the New Year, the veil separating the worlds of the living and the ‘otherworld’ was at its thinnest. This is the most likely time when spirits of the dead would return to the earth, crossing the veil from one world to another. The ancient druids would use these mystical conditions to tap into supernatural resources to make predictions about the future.
Because it was believed that mischievous ghosts walked the earth on the night of October 31st, causing havoc wherever they went, the Celts would dress up in animal costumes to disguise themselves and try to fool these malevolent beings. Lights in villages were extinguished and a huge bonfire would be lit where everyone would gather. Fire had a number of functions on this evening. As well as being believed to scare evil spirits away, flames from the fire would bring light in the darkness, the bonfires acting like beacons to attract ancestral spirits who wandered that night. Also, charms would be thrown into the flames symbolising the Celts’ hopes and wishes for the coming year. As we make New Year resolutions, the Celts too would reflect on the past and consider the future at the start of their New Year.
Another way to ward off evil spirits would be to throw animal bones into the fires and thus the origins of our modern word ‘bonfire’ come from these ancient ‘bone-fires.’
To prevent evil spirits from entering their homes, the ancients would leave gifts of food outside. These malevolent beings had to be appeased and villagers would give Druids (Celtic priests) gifts of food when they visited. This is one of the many theories as to the origin of ‘Trick or Treat.’
As Christianity began to spread over ancient Britain, November 1st was designated as All Saints’ Day to honour saints and martyrs. This was a part of an attempt by the Church to replace one of many ancient Celtic festivals with a related but Church-sanctioned celebration.
Sources
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
http://www.mookychick.co.uk/opinion/pagan/samhain.php
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_cu.htm
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