Halloween originally was celebrated among the druidic faiths as Samaine or Walpurgisnacht. It eventually got attached to the Liturgical Feast Day of All Saints’ Day.

Forbidden to celebrate pagan feasts, Christians took some of the basic elements of the old feast, and dressed up the night before November First.

The ancients believed that the night opened the doorway for evil spirits to walk the earth. Some Christians believed that the spirits of the dead became restless on the eve of All Saints or All Hallowed. The name stuck, and the night before became All Hallows Eve, later Halloween.

The oldest celebrations came out of Europe as a feast to commemorate the final harvest. Stacks of the harvest were stacked and sometimes burned to scare away evil,and people would dance around the fires shouting to ward away bad spirits. Trading gifts of food, and inviting others to meals later translated into giving treats to visitors, especially children.

For Christians, after the mischief of the night of Halloween before, the dawn meant moderation, and prayer for the intercession of the saints, and more prayers, the next day, for departed souls–thus All Souls’ Day, November 2. B.

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