Halloween the ghost festival and its history

Halloween is a holiday older than many realize, celebrated in many places around the world. Below you’ll find an article about what Halloween is in different countries, and of course, some Halloween-related trivia.

Halloween is a holiday whose roots stretch back thousands of years to the places where the Celts of Britain and Ireland performed their dark magic. In ancient times, it fell between the two main seasons of summer and winter. As the crops faded from the fields and the world prepared for winter, the people of Britain began preparations for the festival of Samhain.

Samhain festival, later Halloween

The festival of Samhain—literally the end of summer—later known as Halloween, is now associated with the last day of October and the night between it and the first day of November. It was once called the Beginning of the Darker Half of the Year. The Welsh knew this night as Nos Galan Gaeaf, the Winter’s Eve, while others named it Blodmonath—the Blood Month. For the Ancient Celts, it was a time of profound significance. Burial mounds and tombs were constructed so that, at this very moment of the year, the rising sun would cast its first light upon them. Temples and sacred sites were aligned in the same way, as if the Celts sought to bridge the world of the living with that of the dead.

The oldest Celtic legends speak of Samhain—a night when the veil between worlds grew thin. Ancient Irish myths begin or end with its arrival, marking it as a threshold between the ages. With Samhain came the end of trade among tribes; feuds and wars were settled, and silence descended over the lands. The realm of humans was soon enveloped in endless night. Darkness brought with it the greatest of perils—cold, hunger, and frost. The long shadow of winter stirred fear in every heart, for it was a season of endurance and survival.

By the 9th century, as Christianity spread across Celtic territories, the Church sought to replace the old rites with new, sanctified observances. Thus was born All Saints’ Day, and Samhain was transformed into All Hallows’ Mass—and eventually, into what we now know as Halloween.

Halloween in the oldest rituals

The Druids and Celtic priests believed that Halloween was the night when the boundary between our world and the realm of the dead grew perilously thin. During this time, spirits—both benevolent and malevolent—could freely cross into the land of the living. It was said that legions of demons, led by Samhain, the god of death himself, roamed the earth, driving the souls of the wicked toward the fiery abyss to atone for their sins. To keep darkness at bay, vast bonfires were lit across the settlements—flames meant to lure kind spirits and repel those born of shadow.

To ward off demons and restless souls wandering the earth on that night, people crafted terrifying masks and grotesque effigies—frightful visages meant to scare away unwelcome guests. One of the oldest ways to protect oneself from evil was to carve ghastly faces into large vegetables—such as turnips or beets—and place a candle inside so that the flickering light could be seen from afar. After the colonization of America and the discovery of new crops, it was the pumpkin that took on this role, becoming the glowing guardian of the night against dark forces.

The Celts believed that on this single, haunted night, the most wretched of souls could seize control of the living. To protect themselves, people would leave their homes at the end of October disguised in tattered rags and crude masks. Demons, it was thought, shunned the bodies of the poor, the sick, and the afflicted—unwilling to inhabit those already marked by suffering. Yet the kind spirits were welcomed. Offerings of food were left upon doorsteps, and doors and windows remained unbarred, so that weary souls might enter, warm themselves, and rest before returning to the shadows from which they came.

Victims of the old Halloween

The Celtic gods were harsh and fearsome rulers—quick-tempered, often cruel, and always demanding reverence. The Druids believed that these deities could be appeased through offerings and a life lived in accordance with sacred law. Thus, during the festival of Samhain—and later, on Halloween—great bonfires were raised to the heavens, blazing beacons meant to bridge the mortal world with that of the divine. Into the hungry flames the Celts cast their offerings: fruits and vegetables from the final harvest, and libations of wine and strong spirits poured to honor their capricious gods.

Yet many scholars believe that not all offerings were so innocent. Some fires, it is said, devoured more than grain and grapes. Whispers from the past tell of animals—and perhaps even humans—cast into the inferno, their souls carried skyward in spirals of smoke to placate the ancient powers. When the ceremonies ended, the embers were buried beneath the earth and marked as hallowed ground. Centuries later, archaeologists uncovered these mounds, finding within them bones of beasts and men alike. Whether these belonged to sacrificial victims or merely the recently dead remains a mystery, one that still smolders in the dark corners of Celtic legend.

The times when Halloween was forgotten

Over time, the Church achieved its goal, and Halloween and Samhain were completely forgotten. On the last day of October, parishes organized their parades and promoted their customs. People participated in the processions, dressed as saints and devils, and bonfires and prayers were lit throughout the area.

People didn’t realize they were cultivating ancient rituals in an entirely new form.

Halloween rebirth

Though the Church had long buried the old gods and reshaped the ancient faiths, something of the old ways still pulsed beneath the skin of the people. Deep within memory—like embers hidden under ash—the ancient traditions endured. By the seventeenth century, those embers began to glow once more. The descendants of the Celts rekindled their forgotten rites, breathing life into the long-silent echoes of their ancestors. Songs, stories, and ceremonies once thought lost returned with newfound fervor, as if the spirits of the old gods themselves had stirred in their slumber.

In the early nineteenth century, as famine and hardship swept across the British Isles, countless souls left their homeland behind. They sailed westward across the cold Atlantic, carrying with them little more than hope—and the ghosts of their ancestors’ beliefs. With them, Samhain crossed the sea, finding new soil in the New World. There, amid the lights and laughter of America, the ancient night of spirits took on a new form.

It is an irony whispered through time: the festival born in the mist-shrouded hills of Celtic lands now burns brightest in the heart of modern America. Though still cherished in Britain and Ireland, it is across the ocean that Halloween has become a grand spectacle—a wild, joyful echo of something far more ancient and dark.

Halloween, the festival of fear nowadays

Americans have come to love Halloween, and sellers of masks, costumes, and gadgets related to dark figures are seeing a resurgence of sales during this time. Currently, Halloween is estimated to be the second most commercial holiday after Christmas, not only in America but also in all of Western Europe. Furthermore, the custom of dressing up as spooky creatures is quickly taking hold in Asia and South America. In the United States alone, Americans spend an astronomical amount of over seven billion dollars on costumes and other Halloween-related items in preparation for Halloween. The holiday enjoys similar popularity among the British and Irish.

Trick or Treat, the famous phrase and other fun activities during the Halloween season.

During games, those where children receive small gifts or sweets are especially popular. Dressed up children visit local homes and neighbours to show off their outfits and ultimately receive a handful of sweets. When a resident refuses a treat, the children come up with tricks. Typically, these involve scattering wrappers in front of the house or drawing scary characters with chalk on the driveway.

Apple bobbing

Another popular game is fishing for apples in a bucket of water. The trick is to retrieve a floating apple using only your mouth. If someone succeeds and the apple is undamaged, it means good luck in the coming year.

Carving Nightmare Faces into a Jack Lantern Pumpkin

Traditionally, on Halloween, children, with the help of adults, carve eyes and a mouth into a large pumpkin to create a terrifying and repulsive face. A candle is placed inside, causing the nightmarish face to glow in the dark. This tradition dates back to a time before pumpkins were even invented. In ancient times, turnips, turnips, or beets were used instead. Pumpkins only appeared after the discovery of America.

In Ireland, there’s a tale of Greedy Jack; you can find it in our legends section.

Other Halloween fun

There are many customs and games during the scary holiday. As the English say, Halloween is a children’s holiday, so the repertoire is chosen especially for little ones. Scary farms are popular, these are farms decorated as locations from horror films. Most often, these are Dracula’s castles, tombs with skeletons, or pyramids filled with mummies.

Houses are decorated with spiderwebs and likenesses of famous movie characters. Special dishes are prepared in the kitchens, stylized to look like horror movie props. Cakes resembling brains or cookies resembling severed fingers are just some of the ideas. Children make their own pumpkins and take an active part in making costumes and other small items that will help them have fun.

A fancy dress festival in Eastern Europe

In the East, including here, Halloween is controversial due to its pagan origins. The Church and the radical right are trying to reject the customs and celebrations coming from the West. Information about the origins of this holiday (often false and exaggerated) is appearing in the media, and it is also compared to Satanic practices.

While each of us is entitled to our opinion on every topic, attempts to impose our beliefs and the associated prohibitions on others are, in my opinion, wrong. Everyone should be able to decide whether they want to celebrate the last night of October or not.

Our Native Americans also oppose Halloween celebrations. Instead, they encourage the celebration of the Slavic Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve). As our English friends claim, there are no subtexts or more profound meanings to the celebration; only fun and a cool, dark atmosphere matter. After all, everyone loves horror movies.

Halloween facts, information, and curiosities

• The colours of Halloween are black and orange.
• In Ireland, wild fruit is still not picked on November 1st, as it may be poisonous.
• In Scotland, on the last day of October, houses are thoroughly cleaned, food is set on the tables, and then everyone goes to bed.
• The Catholic Church has a strong aversion to Halloween. This stems from the holiday’s pagan origins and the fact that the Church of Satan also celebrates its holiday on that day.
• Celtic beliefs are very similar to the Slavic Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve).
• The most popular Halloween activities include dressing up as characters from horror movies, playfully forcing treats from neighbours, catching apples in a bucket with your mouth, and carving pumpkins to resemble dark figures.
• The Halloween holiday originates from the older Celtic festival of Samhain.
• Currently, Halloween is most celebrated in the United States, England, and Ireland.
• October 31st is particularly popular with children. They can steal sweets with impunity and stuff themselves to the point of exhaustion.
• Halloween is very popular in the United States, but not only there. The English and the Irish celebrate this day almost as eagerly, as do people in Japan and Korea, recently.
• Pumpkin growers make small fortunes in the run-up to Halloween. The largest pumpkin to date was grown by a Belgian resident, weighing over a ton. The largest pumpkin in Poland weighed over eight hundred kilograms.
• Halloween stirs up many emotions. The controversy is so intense that a disease manifesting itself in a panic fear of Halloween has emerged—Samhainophobia.
• According to old customs, spiders are not killed on October 31st; they may harbour the souls of deceased relatives.
• The most popular Halloween costumes are witches, werewolves, vampires, and mummies.
• If you’re truly brave, put on a witch costume backwards and walk backwards. Apparently, a real witch will stand before you.
• Although Halloween was popular in the United States as early as the 19th century, the first Halloween parade wasn’t held until 1920. The event took place in the town of Anoka, which has a majority Irish population. Since 1937, Anoka has been recognized as the Halloween capital of the world.

Halloween in pop culture

There have been countless films and books about Halloween. The most popular include:

• Hocus Pocus — In the US, it’s like Home Alone, except you watch it on Halloween.
• Total Magic — A family comedy that brings the whole family to the TV.
• Halloween — A film probably familiar to all horror fans.
• Haunted House — The action takes place in the titular haunted house on Halloween night.
• Night of the Demons — A group of friends go to a Halloween party at a supposedly haunted house… that’s precisely how it ends, as you might imagine 🙂
• Monster Hunters — An adventure story for children also set on Halloween.
• Ginger Snaps — The girls decide to go to the woods on Halloween.
• Scary Stories After Dark — What could be a more fun place for Halloween than a haunted house where a young girl hanged herself years earlier?
• Spooky Halloween Night — The film tells several stories in the horror genre. All of them take place on Halloween.

If you know of any interesting materials about Halloween, please let us know.

Polish version