Old school Halloween costumes, 1900s

Old school Halloween costumes, 1900s

Before Halloween became commercialised and sexualised, Halloween has a long and interesting history that had been a tradition for thousands of years, and it all started in the ancient land of Ireland.

Halloween, which in ancient Irish is Samhain (sow-an), was a religious event in the Celtic calendar. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the world of the living and the spirit world collided, and so spirits, both good and evil, could enter the world of the living.

Several traditions emerged during this holiday. Costumes were worn to confuse and scare ghosts. Costumes were gruesome, with animal blood, mud and rags being common items to wear.

Trick or treating was also done, but children generally said prayers for the souls of the deceased in the houses they were visiting, and they got fruit cakes for this.Food was also left for for the dead souls wandering the land.

Jack-o-lanterns were not done with pumpkins, but with turnips, since pumpkins did not exist in Ireland. The tradition comes from an Irish legend of a man named Jack, who insulted God and the devil and was cursed to walk the earth forever with a turnip with a lump of hot coal in it for light. Jack o lanterns were carved to scare away Jack, who tended to commit petty acts of trouble.

Halloween became popular in America when over 2 million Irish people emigrated there during the famine in the 19th century.

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