Halloween’s Haunted History

Dating back to the ancient Celts, in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, Halloween has changed immensely from it origins to how it is currently celebrated. 

The Celts celebrate their new year on Nov. 1 because it signifies the end of summer and the beginning of winter. They believed because winter brings death to humans, the barrier between the living and dead became blurred the day before their new year.

In celebration of the event, druids, or Celtic priests, built large bonfires where sacrifices of crops and animals were burned for deities. At the same time, the Celts wore costumes mainly consisting of skins and the heads of animals.

Because of Protestant beliefs, Halloween’s debut in the United States saw limited celebration during the colonial era. The holiday first appeared in Maryland and the southern colonies.

In the U.S., the holiday began expanding in the 1920s and 30s. Traditional celebrations were brought back including dressing up as characters as well as trick-or-treating. Parties were a way for the community to come together for a celebration and in the roaring ‘20s, they and even parades were the featured entertainment.  

These traditions are what formed the holiday into what it is today. 

From trick-or-treating to scaring each other in haunted houses, Halloween is a favorite national holiday. U.S. citizens spend an estimated $6 billion on Halloween each year, making it the second largest commercial holiday, falling behind to Christmas. 

Decorating a Christmas tree is a well known tradition, but decorating pumpkins is also a historical celebration. 

While Jack-O’-Lanterns started in Ireland, people did not use pumpkins until the holiday was celebrated in North America, mainly because pumpkins are native to the area. Instead, people originally used large turnips or potatoes. Carving pumpkins became popular as the years passed. In the 1960s, a farmer from Massachusetts, John Howden, developed the Howden pumpkin, which is currently the most popular for carving. With its round shape and gut type, the Howden Pumpkin is more ideal for carving than making pie. 

Chadron state has also sprouted its own Halloween traditions.  

According to Housing & Residence Life Associate Director , Taylor Osmotherly, campus clubs have been celebrating Halloween more recently.

“Pumpkin carving is actually relatively new this year for RLA. This is the first time in my tenure that we’ve used real pumpkins at the pumpkin carving event.”

Every year since 2005, Sigma Tau Delta has hosted a Scream Slam for students.

The Scream Slam is a Halloween themed open-mic night which brings in students to tell their favorite chilling story or share one of their own creations. Costumes and awards help keep the event popular with students. 

2018 was the first year of Blood Curdling Brooks, a haunted house on campus, but hopefully it is an event that takes hold in the traditions of CSC. 

Another popular event is the annual Halloween Dance hosted by The Pit, one of the most popular dances on campus. 

“I know that the Halloween Dance has been happening almost every year for the last 7 years at least, but I’m guessing longer.” Osmotherly said.