Long before plastic skeletons, the Celts in Britain and Ireland kicked things off with a festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”). This was their New Year’s Eve, falling on October 31st, when they believed the veil between the living and the dead got paper-thin. You know that creepy feeling you get walking past a graveyard at dusk? They lived it for a whole week.
They thought spirits could just wander back in to haunt the living. To avoid being possessed, they’d dress up in ghoulish costumes—animal skins, scary masks—to blend in with the ghosts. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” right? They’d also light massive bonfires to ward off evil and burn crops as a sacrifice.
Here’s the ironic bit: the Church later tried to hijack this pagan party. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved “All Saints’ Day” to November 1st, hoping to Christianise the festivities. The night before became All Hallows’ Eve—which, after a few centuries of slurring, became Halloween. Nice try, Pope. We just kept the scary bits.
The Great Turnip vs. Pumpkin Debate
Let’s talk about jack-o’-lanterns. You think pumpkins? Think again. The original British version involved carving a gnarly turnip, hollowing it out, and stuffing a candle inside. Have you ever tried carving a turnip? It’s like chiseling a brick. The legend says a bloke named “Stingy Jack” tricked the devil and was doomed to roam the Earth with only a coal in a carved turnip to light his way.
Why Do We Celebrate Halloween Kid Friendly
When Irish and Scottish immigrants took this tale to America, they discovered pumpkins were way easier to scoop out. So, we Brits eventually gave up the turnip tradition (thank goodness) and embraced the American pumpkin. Now, every supermarket in the UK stacks them like orange cannonballs. But every year, some hipster in Hackney will still try to carve a swede, just to be authentic. You do you, mate.
