The Magic of Halloween

We’ve come to see Halloween as a time for costumes, candy, and coming together with loved ones; however, the holiday’s original purpose dates back centuries to both Celtic tradition and Christianity. Have you ever wondered where we came up with trick-or-treating? Or dressing up for Halloween? No matter your favorite part of the holiday, its roots are fascinating and offer amazing insights into human culture and how traditions are created and altered throughout time.

Halloween is wrought with imagination. From stories of witches, tales of ghosts, and a movie franchise with 13 films, the holiday has essentially created its own mythos in and of itself. How has all of this come to be? To begin, the story of Halloween is something rooted in deep tradition. From pagan rituals, offerings of good fortune, and Irish immigrants, the story of Halloween has evolved from a piece of ancient folklore into a modern phenomenon.  

In Christian tradition, the holiday marked the beginning of Allhallowtide, a time meant to remember the dead, specifically those faithful to the church. The Celtic roots date back to Samhain, a festival meant to mark the new year and start of winter (imagine something like a medieval Macy’s Day Parade). The Celts believed this time was sacred and acted as a gateway between the world of the living and the dead. They lit bonfires honoring their gods, warded themselves from evil, prayed for a good winter, and took on disguises to trick foul spirits wanting to harm them. These traditions were brought over to America through Irish immigrants in the late 1700s and have evolved into an American tradition in and of itself. Our bonfires have been contained to pumpkins; we have switched our costumes with candy in order to bribe any would-be trickster spirits, and are free to use these disguises for fun rather than necessity. 

The American Halloween 

Halloween tradition would not be the same without witches. Derived from the Bible and with references dating back to Ancient Greece and Circe in Homer’s Odyssey, the image of an old woman with a long nose and black hat riding on a broom has become synonymous with the holiday. In America, this term was popularized with the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. In Christian culture at the time, if you were not with the church, you were against the church. Sadly, during this time, many single or widowed women were targeted and mistreated for any reason. Take Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, for example. Single women were alienated from their community and, with the slightest suspicion, convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. 

Alongside witches, in the quartet of Halloween monsters, werewolves and vampires have similar mythological ties and connections with the holiday. Werewolves date back to ancient Rome and the tale of King Lycaon; over time, the stories evolved to have the curse be triggered by a full moon, and the transformation being something mental as well as physical. Ghosts have been hand in hand with the holiday since its conception, and vampires and zombies were popularized with Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, respectively. Halloween had become a time you could be someone else, something else. Costumes, which used to be a disguise, became a new persona for its wearer on the special night. 

Nothing encapsulates the idea of American Halloween like the song, “Monster Mash.” The song, through its catchy lyrics and beat, turned Halloween from a tradition into a holiday. It had been transformed into a phenomenon. The monsters you’re meant to fear are all just looking to have a good time on this special night. Transcending the Monster Mash in our society is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Serving as a gateway between the holiday and pop culture, “Thriller” has become an embodiment of how we view the holiday. 

As it's evolved into a cornerstone of our culture, we see Halloween’s impact everywhere. Characters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s Creature, and Ghostface have transcended their media counterparts and become a staple in pop culture. Nothing shows the impact of Halloween in our culture like the horror genre. People love to be scared. No matter how terrifying Chucky is in Child’s Play, we can’t bear to take our eyes off the screen. As mentioned before, the Halloween franchise has created a series of films taking place on the holiday while invoking the same level of fear that the holiday is known for. 

Halloween Traditions Throughout Different Cultures

Halloween tradition and pop culture have spread much further than just America. In Mexico, the Christian tradition has been reinvented as Día de los Muertos, something discussed in Jocelyne Peña’s blog, Ofrendas and Maximalism: How Culture Dictates Style and Creativity.

Samhain is still celebrated in its homeland of Ireland, where tradition has come to the baking and indulgence of barmbrack, a sweet, fruity bread made for the holiday. If you feel like baking a barmbrack yourself this holiday season, a recipe created by Chris Pezzana can be found on his blog: Traditional Irish Barmbrack - Night Owl Chef. 

Asian countries also have their unique spin on the holiday. Japan and Korea host massive parties where citizens gather in their favorite costumes. China has similar celebrations in its major cities, and Hong Kong is home to a plethora of haunted houses. In Asian cultures, many of these celebrations work hand in hand with their own cultures and traditions. The Hungry Ghost Festival in East Asia draws many similarities to old Celtic beliefs that this was a time when the world of the living and the dead coincided. As opposed to trying to hide the spirits, they are offered food, lanterns, and paper as a peace offering. A similar ritual is seen in places such as Japan and Vietnam, where offerings are made, and lanterns are floated down rivers in order to guide spirits. 

The Evolution of Halloween 

In our modern culture, Halloween can be boiled down to nothing more than society capitalizing on one more holiday in order to get a few more dollars. When we look at it like this, however, we lose Halloween’s entire meaning. We forget how it feels to want to dress up and take on a disguise of someone else, we forget how fun it is to be around people we love on a night where we pretend, and we forget that ever since its inception, Halloween has been something with a few bad apples that we have grown to avoid or love Halloween in spite of.

About the Author

Tyler Falls is an English major at UNLV with a concentration in creative writing and literature. His interests include reading, writing, music, video games, and hanging out with friends.