On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes.
Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. The practice, which was referred to as “going a-souling,” was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food and money. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The American Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England.
A sequel to that-"Halloween Kills," the twelfth film in the "Halloween" franchise overall-was released in 2021.
In “Halloween,” a young boy named Michael Myers murders his 17-year-old sister and is committed to jail, only to escape as a teen on Halloween night and seek out his old home, and a new target. A direct sequel to the original "Halloween" was released in 2018, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle. Classic Halloween movies include the “Halloween” franchise, based on the 1978 original film directed by John Carpenter and starring Donald Pleasance, Nick Castle, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tony Moran. Speaking of commercial success, scary Halloween movies have a long history of being box office hits. READ MORE: The Haunted History of Halloween Candy Halloween Movies Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. Thus, a new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated.īetween 19, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. By the middle of the 19th century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.īy the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Americans spent $490 million on costumes for their pets in 2019-more than double what they spent in 2010.Ĭolonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. Neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance and sing.ĭid you know? More people are buying costumes for their pets. The first celebrations included “play parties,” which were public events held to celebrate the harvest. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies.Īs the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups and the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. READ MORE: How the Early Catholic Church Christianized Halloween Halloween Comes to America The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. READ MORE: Halloween Through the Centuries: A Timeline Ancient Origins of HalloweenĪll Souls’ Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2021 will occur on Sunday, October 31.