Halloween. We all know it and love it. The one day you can walk around with a costume on and not be called a dork. This Halloween, I’ve decided to research how Halloween started. I’d like to share what I’ve found.

It all started with the Celtic holiday of Samhain (pronounced SAW-WEN), when people thought that the barrier between the living and the dead world was thinnest. To scare away the demons and the like, they would dress up as ghouls. They also had a festival.

However, Pope Bonneforth IV thought that this seemed a little pagan for his taste, so he established All Saints Day, which was later moved to November 1st to overshadow Samhain. This made the day before “All Saints Eve”, or All Hallows Eve, essentially Halloween. Later, All Souls Day was proclaimed on November 2nd. One of the Irish customs was to carve beets into scary faces.

 When a number of Irish people immigrated to America to escape the potato famine, they brought their traditions with them. They found pumpkins and other gourds to make lanterns out of. Halloween grew in popularity and eventually became a main holiday. 

Have a Happy Halloween, Bulldogs!