Trick or Treat Rams! Halloween is a night of pumpkins, costumes, and candy every October 31, but where did the idea of this holiday come from? The tradition of Halloween originated from the Celtics who inhabited what is now Ireland, the UK, and northern France more than 2,000 years ago. They had a festival of Samhain that consisted of lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to spook off ghosts and spirits. Celtics did this because they believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing ghosts to roam the streets of the Earth.

On the night of October 31 Celtics celebrated Samhain, which is the first day of November, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. It was because of the presence of spirits that allowed Celtic priests to predict the future of the coming winter. The priests built huge sacred bonfires, at which the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices. During the celebration, the Celtics wore costumes consisting of animal heads and skins. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that night, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

As time passes, our traditions change, now we dress up in fun costumes and go door to door asking for candy, we carve silly faces into pumpkins and watch scary movies. It’s crazy to think about how differently we used to celebrate Halloween and how much religion and ghosts played a role in it.

Now, don’t forget Rams to have a happy and safe Halloween!