October 2003 Pic of the Month
Halloween: An American Holiday Filled with Unearthly Delights

Halloween Card, 1930
ID: 89.165.11
Rooted in the ancient religious practices of the Celts, ghosts and witches have remained an important part of Halloween imagery.

Ghost and spirits were long a part of the ancient Celtic celebration called Samhain. In northern Europe at this time, winter came early—around November—and lasted almost six months. It was a frightening time for a superstitious people subject to the unknown forces of nature. As the winter approached, nights grew longer and the sunlight weaker. Samhain marked the start of the season that belonged to evil spirits.

The Celts believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. On this night, ancestral ghosts and demons were set free to roam the earth and do mischief. The Celts made offerings of food and drink in an attempt to appease these evil spirits or hid in ghoulish disguise—appearing to be one of them—in order to escape harm.

This festival was one of the most important celebrations for the Druids, the Celtic priests and practitioners of witchcraft. They believed that on October 31, the eve of Samhain, predictions and omens had more power and clarity. Witchcraft was an important part of this holiday as well, an association that has remained a part of the holiday to the present.