When Tafties pull on costumes and swarm the neighborhood for candy, we’re actually joining a 2,000-year-long tradition. Yes, those plastic vampire fangs have got deeper lore than you think.
Halloween’s legendary story starts with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated on October 31st, in what is now known as Ireland, parts of Scotland, and parts of Britain. For the Celts, it was New Year’s Eve. They held a firm belief that on this specific night, the spiritual veil between the living and the dead was weakened, and spirits could slip through more easily. To keep the evil ones out, people lit large campfires and carved faces into vegetables such as pumpkins, turnips, beets, or potatoes. The villagers completed these rituals in their villages, wearing animal-skin disguises to top it all off. So, yes, by technicality, your $29.99 Spirit Halloween fit has the same goal as an archaic 1st-century goat-hide mask and cloak: don’t get haunted.
Where did the name Halloween even come from? The answer is that sometime in the 8th century, the Christian Church stepped in and moved the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows) to November 1st. The night of October 31st became All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to just Halloween. Instead of trying to remove the fun fall festival of Samhain, the Church decided to rebrand it entirely.
Centuries later, in the 1800s, Irish immigrants introduced the spooky traditions to the United States, which included carving grotesque faces into turnips to ward off evil spirits. Yet, the Americans said, “Turnips? Thanks, but no thanks.” They chose pumpkins instead, which were bigger and easier to hollow out and shape. That’s how the jack-o’-lantern was born. Fun fact: the term itself originated from an Irish folktale about a prankster named “Stingy Jack,” who was cursed to wander around the globe with a glowing coal inside a carved-out vegetable.
Trick-or-treating is actually an amalgamation of different customs put together into one in the present day. Back in Medieval Europe, people went “soulling,” which was essentially going to people’s homes and praying for the dead in exchange for food and blessings. Villagers believed that the more prayers collected meant the more “credit” they gained for their loved ones to be eligible for heaven in the afterlife. In Scotland and Ireland, kids would go “guising,” wearing costumes and performing tricks or songs for sweet treats. The Americans loved this idea, just one alteration: no prayers or songs, just that sweet, sweet, delicious candy.
As Halloween evolved in North America during the 20th century, it slowly shifted from a religious ritual to a community-wide holiday. By the onset of the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween parades, parties, and costume contests had become popular. In the roaring 1950s, trick-or-treating became a custom in neighborhoods, offering a safe and fun way for kids to participate in Halloween. At the same time, Halloween has also become more fun, playful, and spooky with the rise of pop culture.
Thanks to TV shows, movies, and candy companies, Halloween has been shaped into the holiday we now enjoy—a blend of horror and fun, filled with monsters and treats. Today, Halloween embraces not just ghosts and zombies, but also media icons, memes, and whatever crazy inflatable costume Amazon or Spirit Halloween has in stock for the season. And the best part? Every community gives the holiday its own twist, including ours.
So when Taft dorms decorate their doors for Halloween, teachers set out bowls of candy, and we show up dressed as witches, pirates, or even inflatable Among Us suits, remember: we’re not being childish. We’re continuing a tradition that has crossed centuries, continents, and worlds.
