The history of Halloween
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- Halloween falls on October 31st because of the Pope. Pope Gregory the IV commanded that all Saints be celebrated throughout the entire church and so the holy day spread to Ireland.
- Welcome to Rome! Can you explain All Saints day and why Halloween is celebrated on the day it is?
- Irish Catholic peasants were worried about the unfortunate souls, and if they get left out, they may become unhappy enough to cause trouble
- It became customary to bang pots and pans on All Hallows Eve, just to know they were not forgotten.
- Everyone grab your pots and pans! We're in Ireland! Can you talk about why this is a tradition?
- Yes! The dances sometimes was performed on all souls day. The French only dressed up on Al l souls day, not Halloween. It was the Irish who had Halloween and they did not dress up. The two became intermingled in the British Colonials of North America when Irish and French Catholics began to intermarry. The Irish focus on hell gave the French Masquerade a twist.
- The customs of dressing up in costumes arose in the 14th-15th century. The black death contributed to this as catholics became more concerned about the afterlife. More messes were held on all souls day. Artistic representations helped remind everyone of their own mortality.
- Welcome to France! Would you care to explain the reasoning behind dressing up in costumes and the Black death?
- I heard there was a fun dance held on this day called the Dance of the Dead?
- During the penal period, Catholics had no rights! You couldn't even say mass! The English made a plot to blow up King James the 1st with gunpowder, but the plan was foiled. Guy Fawkes was arrested. November 5th is when we celebrated Guy Fawkes day. During the penal period on guy fawkes day, bands of revelers would put on masks and visit local Catholics in the dead of night. Demanding “treats” for their celebration. This is how trick or treat came to be!
- Trick or Treat! Welcome to England! Can you explain the history of how trick or treating came to be?
- Finally, welcome to America! Guy Fawkes Day arrived in the American colonies with the first English settlers, but by the time of the American Revolution, King James and Guy Fawkes had been forgotten. Trick or Treat was too much fun and moved to October 31st, the day of the Irish French Masquerade. Trick or Treat was not limited to Catholics. The mixture of various traditions known as Halloween had become a fixture in the United States in the 1800s.
- LOOK AT ALL THIS CANDY!!
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