Halloween and Druids

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Many of the holidays that we celebrate in today's world have centuries of history behind them. Many holiday traditions started as a result of the blending of a number of cultures' celebrations into one holiday. Halloween is a day that is filled with tradition and history, and much of that tradition originated with the ancient Celtic Druids. Without their influence, not only would Halloween be a much different event than we are used to, but it might not even be a holiday at all.

Druid History

Druids were the priests and other spiritual leaders of the ancient Celtic people. Although people today associate the word "Celtic" with Ireland, at the height of their power, the Celtic people occupied most of Western Europe. The Celts were a polytheistic people, with hundreds of gods and goddesses that were worshipped. While some gods were commonly known across the population, other gods may have only been recognized by a single village, or even a single family.

The recognized experts among the Celts for worshipping and appeasing the gods were the Druids. In most cases, a Druid held spiritual authority as well as legal authority within their community. They often served as the judicial system for their region, and many Druids also worked as teachers and historians, preserving the past and shaping the future of their people. The Celts were eventually overtaken by the Roman Empire, and the Druids were forced out of their role as spiritual and legal leaders, to be replaced by their Christian-influenced Roman conquerors.

Druidic Contribution to Halloween

In an effort to convert the population of conquered nations to Christianity, it was common for the Roman Empire to take existing festivals and traditions that the local population was comfortable with and blending it with Christian dogma to create a religion that was at least somewhat familiar. The Celtic festival of Samhain was held to recognize the passing of the fruitful summer season and the beginning of the cold winter season. Celebrations of this festival included sacrifices to the Celtic gods and the warding off of evil spirits through the use of Masks and costumes. It was thought that the barrier between our world and the spirit world, known as the Otherworld to the Celts, became especially thin during this time, necessitating the festival and its rituals to keep everyone safe.

In order to appropriate the festival for the Christian-based needs of the Romans, it was soon associated with the Catholic All Saints Day, which was typically celebrated at roughly the same time of year as Samhain. Many of the traditions of each celebration were carried over, and as the holiday lost its religious connotations and became a secular holiday, the ancient practice of wearing Masks to ward off evil spirits became the modern practice of wearing costumes to go trick-or-treating.

The blending of these two ancient holidays' traditions is what gives us the unique practices of Halloween today. Now, when you or you child wear a Halloween costume, you're probably not warding off evil spirits, but trying to get attention instead. When you go out dressed up, though, you are assuming your place in a centuries-old tradition.

Cassie Jilari has a love of Halloween that goes back to her childhood. She looks forward to dressing up each year. Possible costume ideas include a puppy costume and a queen Halloween costume.