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On October 31st, children from the British Isles, Canada and the United States of America dress up for Halloween. This is a day of fun and merriment but it was not always so. Halloween comes from a corruption of the words 'all hallow even.' All Hallow’s day is All Saint’s day, which is traditionally celebrated on the 1st of November and the Irish Celts celebrated their new year on the 31st of October.
The Irish Celts believed that on 31st of October, spirits wander the earth in search of new bodies to possess. This led to the belief that if the homes were made inhospitable, spirits were less likely to enter them. So they would extinguish all fires that are burning in the house, candles, fireplace, and the stove. They would also try to make themselves physically undesirable by dressing in costumes and making their faces to look ugly. Like many other old cultures, the Celts believed that spirits are afraid of loud noises. So in their hideous make up and costumes, the Celts would parade around the street, generally making as much noise as possible. This was probably part of the new year’s revelry as well.
This custom would later incorporate another tradition from Europe. On All Souls day, Christians would go door to door begging for “soul cakes.” It was believed that the souls of the day would remain in a state of limbo for a long time before going to heaven. The only way to speed up this process was through prayers said on their behalf. So for each soul cake received, the person promised to say a prayer for the benefactor’s dead relatives. This custom was called “soulling”.
When Irish immigrants hit the shores of America, they brought along their tradition of Halloween. This custom of dressing up evolved from a new year’s celebration and Celtic superstition to what it is today.
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