Oct 25, 2026 · 3 min · 4 segments
**Viewpoints Explained: Before Costumes And Candy: Halloween’s Darker Roots** - We cover how Halloween’s modern traditions trace back to ancient Celtic and Christian customs that have evolved over…
Ebony McMorrisHost
Carved pumpkins flicker on stoops, leaves crunch underfoot, and swarms of dressed-up kids race to bag the most candy.
This period marked the end of harvest season and the arrival of winter's long, cold nights.
According to records from the Library of Congress, Celtics believed the barrier between the living and the dead was at its weakest point on October 31st, To ward off these ghosts, people lit massive fires, disguised themselves in animal skins, and left offerings for the dead.
As time passed and Christianity spread throughout Europe, the church reworked these older customs into new ones.
by the 8th century Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as All Saints Day or All Hallows Day and the holiday incorporated many of the traditions of the festival of Samhain.
Even many of our modern traditions like carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating grew out of this blending of faith and folklore.
Long before jack-o'-lanterns, the Irish in the 1800s started this tradition by knifing scary faces into small turnips.
These rough turnip lanterns were meant to frighten off any evil spirit said to roam on Halloween night.
During the Middle Ages, needy children and adults took part in souling and went door to door to collect food and money from locals in exchange for prayers for the dead.
Today, Halloween isn't so much a night of fear and faith, but one of fun and imagination.
Carved pumpkins flicker on stoops, leaves crunch underfoot, and swarms of dressed-up kids race to bag the most candy.
This period marked the end of harvest season and the arrival of winter's long, cold nights.
According to records from the Library of Congress, Celtics believed the barrier between the living and the dead was at its weakest point on October 31st, To ward off these ghosts, people lit massive fires, disguised themselves in animal skins, and left offerings for the dead.
As time passed and Christianity spread throughout Europe, the church reworked these older customs into new ones.
by the 8th century Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as All Saints Day or All Hallows Day and the holiday incorporated many of the traditions of the festival of Samhain.
Even many of our modern traditions like carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating grew out of this blending of faith and folklore.
Long before jack-o'-lanterns, the Irish in the 1800s started this tradition by knifing scary faces into small turnips.
These rough turnip lanterns were meant to frighten off any evil spirit said to roam on Halloween night.
During the Middle Ages, needy children and adults took part in souling and went door to door to collect food and money from locals in exchange for prayers for the dead.
Today, Halloween isn't so much a night of fear and faith, but one of fun and imagination.
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