Traditions are funny things — especially when you think back to how Halloween started compared to what it’s become today. My wife and I are hosting a Halloween party at our new house this year, with lights, decorations, and too much candy. Go back a few decades, though, and it looked a lot different. My sister and I would dump our candy on the floor, while out aunt “helped” us sort out the candy.
It’s strange to think that this night of costumes, parties, and candy raids traces back thousands of years to an ancient Celtic festival that had nothing to do with porch lights or plastic skeletons. When you look at the path from bonfires to bite-sized chocolate, Halloween’s evolution is almost supernatural in itself.
🕯️ Samhain: When the Veil Was Thin
Halloween’s roots go back over 2,000 years to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), celebrated from the evening of October 31 to November 1 (1). It marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter — “the dark half” of the year. The Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead grew thin during Samhain, allowing spirits to pass between worlds (2).
To protect themselves, people lit bonfires, wore disguises to confuse wandering souls, and left offerings of food for the dead (1). It wasn’t a night of mischief — it was one of reverence and superstition. But buried in those rituals are the earliest seeds of what became costumes, treats, and neighborhood gatherings.
✝️ All Hallows’ Eve: The Church Remix
As Christianity spread into Celtic regions, the Church did what it often did best — reframe existing traditions. All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2 were created to honor saints and the departed. The night before became All Hallows’ Eve, which over time turn into to Halloween (1).
The bonfires and disguises didn’t disappear — they simply took on a new name and purpose. The celebration kept its fascination with spirits, remembrance, and the turning of seasons, even as its meaning shifted.
🍬 From Soul Cakes to Candy Bars
By the Middle Ages, “souling” was common — people went door to door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for small round cakes (2). Later came “guising,” where children dressed in costumes and performed songs or tricks for food.
Immigrants brought these customs to North America in the 1800s, where they evolved once again. By the 1930s, children were visiting houses asking for candy instead of coins, and the phrase “trick or treat” officially appeared in print (1).
🎃 From Turnips to Pumpkins
In Ireland and Scotland, people once carved lanterns from turnips, placing candles inside to ward off evil spirits (3). When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins — larger, softer, and easier to carve. That swap birthed one of Halloween’s most enduring symbols: the glowing jack-o’-lantern (3).
😈 The Mischievous 1900s
You’re not imagining it — Halloween used to be far more chaotic. In the early 1900s, U.S. towns were plagued by pranks that went way beyond harmless fun: outhouses overturned, fences smashed, even trolley cars derailed. Some cities debated banning the holiday altogether (1).
It wasn’t until the 1940s and ’50s — with suburban growth, organized trick-or-treating, and candy companies getting involved — that Halloween transformed into the family-friendly night we know (1).
🌙 Through the Years
What started as firelight rituals to honor the dead has become a night of porch lights and candy wrappers. The details have changed — bonfires became decorations, turnips became pumpkins, prayers became chocolate bars — but the spirit remains the same. Halloween still sits at that crossroads between light and dark, life and death, the sacred and the silly.
When I see kids sprinting across lawns with with full of candy, I still think of my aunt helping to “organize” that’s night’s haul. The details shift through the decades, but the ritual endures. And that’s the beauty of Halloween — it keeps evolving, but it never fades away.