KYLE M. JOHNSON
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

The modern practice of Halloween has stronger ties to historical celebrations of the holiday than you might think.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the name of the holiday comes from the holiday’s original name, “All Hallows Eve.” As time progressed, the name shortened to become “Halloween.” All Hollows Eve was in practice the night before All Saints Day, “a day commemorating all the saints of the church, both known and unknown.”

The traditions we practice in our modern celebrations of Halloween originated hundreds of years ago. Over time, our practices, which traditionally take place on Oct. 31, have lost a great deal of their original meaning. By going through many of the common aspects and traditions of Halloween, it is evident where modern traditions have come from.

According to historian Nicholas Rogers’ book “Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night,” Halloween is likely to have developed from the Celtic tradition of Samhain . Samhain is a festival which commemorates the end of harvest. This festival, which begins on Oct. 31 and is typically held for several days, is a preparation for the dark seasons to come following the harvest.

Trick-or-Treating is the activity commonly associated with children going door-to-door and non-threateningly announcing, “Trick or Treat!” to the residents of whose house they are visiting. However, this modern tradition did not originate with children specifically.

During All Souls’ Day parades in England, “[Poor] citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives,” according to history. com.

This practice was then adopted by children as they would visit their neighbors who would give them ale, food and money.

Participants in the modern celebration of Halloween often wear costumes. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, this practice comes from many centuries ago.

“[People] sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present.”

Today, we carve images into pumpkins because of the Irish folktale “The Legend of Stingy Jack.” This myth told the story of a man who repeatedly tricked the devil to the point where the devil was not allowed to claim Jack’s soul. Due to his trickery, God did not want Stingy Jack in heaven. As a result, Stingy Jack was forced to walk for eternity in darkness with nothing but a coal-lit turnip to light his way. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern” and later as “Jack O’ Lantern” for short.

While we use pumpkins to carve Stingy Jack’s face, and now other images unrelated to the tale, different parts of the world use other vegetables including turnips, potatoes and beets.

Different renditions of “The Legend of Stingy Jack” can be heard on Youtube.com.