For all those eager to play dress-up with an excuse to celebrate, Halloween is one of the most anticipated days of the year. The origins of the holiday, however, are far from what has become of it today.
In Scotland, the history of Halloween runs deep. A holiday that originated roughly 2,000 years ago as a Celtic festival under the name of “Samhain,’” Halloween was celebrated very first by the nations of Ireland and Scotland.
The reason Oct. 31 was celebrated in the first place is due to the seasonal change that occurs as November arrives; winter is near. The Samhain festival was created as a way to celebrate the summer harvest while welcoming in the new season through rituals such as bonfires, storytelling and costume-wearing.
However, as the Reformation swept through Europe in the 16th century, Samhain was pushed to the wayside, as many people became wary of its Pagan origins. That being said, the Scots are not ones to let go of time-honored traditions, so they began to slowly reinvent the holiday.
Nov. 1, the day winter is said to arrive, also happened to be All Saints Day, as declared by Pope Gregory III in the eighth century. Due to this, the last day of October was widely known as All Hallows Eve which later became Halloween. Scottish in origin, the word Halloween stemmed from the word “evening,” being referred to as “even”, “e’en” or ‘een’ by Scots.
So, while the festival experienced a lull due to religious reasons, it was eventually brought back as a new holiday that paid homage to Samhain through similar celebratory rituals. Irish and Scottish immigrants were the ones to eventually bring their traditions to the U.S., which has since exploded across the nation over the last 200 years.
Though today the holiday is celebrated for a variety of reasons, many of the historic Halloween traditions can be traced back to interesting beginnings.
The popular activity of pumpkin carving actually stems from turnip carving, when people used to sculpt and place them upon doorsteps. Another Halloween staple is that of the bat,one of the most commonly associated symbols with the holiday. When bonfires used to roar all night long at a Samhain festival, bugs and bats would fill the sky, quickly making them a well-known mark of the celebration.
Today, Halloween is still widely celebrated throughout Scotland and remains a day full of celebration, festivity and frights.
Ways the Scottish often celebrate include attending a festival or parade, many of which are highly theatrical with impressive fire shows, going on a haunted ghost tour through a castle or wooded area and enjoying a pint at the pub.
A holiday with origins dating back 2,000 years, Halloween is a celebration that has persisted and is more alive than ever. With so much history and tradition tied to the holiday, it’s doubtful that it will come to an end any time soon.
Paige Wilton can be reached at [email protected].