Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, as it is known to some, is a day of candy, pranks, and costume wearing. Moreover, while most people associate it with Christianity, its true origins lie in Celtic Pagan traditions. October 31st was seen as a day where spirits would come out to play, a day when the Pagan gods were thought to be visible. This translates to a sort of ritual or event where people would dress up as animals or spirits to try and fool the divine, though they really were just playing pranks on each other. That said, Halloween today isn’t that far off from its Pagan origins. It was just a fun day (and night) of mischief and tomfoolery.

Most costumes today have their origins in media, horror, or otherwise. However, the original Halloween costumes consisted of relatively simple masks or cloaks that covered the face in order to disguise themselves as spirits and animals hiding their true identity. The origins of dressing as spooky creatures are similar to the tradition of trick or treating. Around the middle ages, people would dress as malevolent spirits or ghouls and cause mischief, stopping once they were given food or drink.

When Christianity had reached this holiday, many places took inspiration from it in the traditions of All Souls Day on November 2. On this day, poor families would send their children to wealthy families’ houses to receive food and drink and soul cakes, a small treat of sorts. In addition, the night of Halloween was a time to honor the dead, as it was thought that this was when the veil between the spirits and our world was thinnest. In addition, All Souls Day was a time to honor the dead, as it was when the veil between the spirits and our world was thinnest, similar to how it was believed to be on Halloween. As one can see, the pagan traditions of October 31st became the stepping stones for what we see it as today.