I Just Learned Why We Call It 'Halloween', And Huh

Growing up in Ireland, I learned that Halloween had its origins in Oíche Shamhna, or Samhain, a festival in which the walls between our world and the next are believed to become thinner. This historically involved loads of traditions and myths, including the story of “Jack O’Lantern”, who was originally represented in the form of terrifying carved turnips, and a fascination with apples.How, then, did Oíche Shamhna – pronounced, roughly, “ee-hah how-nah” – turn into “Halloween,” which is used to describe the holiday today? And why do some versions of the typed word have an apostrophe between the final two “e”s (Hallowe’en)? Why do we call it Halloween? Per Merriam-Webster, the apostrophe appears because the end part is a shortening of “evening”.“The spelling of Halloween derives from its earlier name All Hallows Even (or eve), which took place the night before All Hallows Day, now known as All Saints Day,” they explained.“All Hallows Even was shortened to Hallowe’en, and later to Halloween. The costumes and the trick-or-treating may come from a mix of Celtic and Middle Ages traditions.” But, I wondered, how did we get the term All Hallows’ Eve to begin with? Well, the day comes before the traditional Christian celebration of All Hallows’ Day, or All Saint’s Day, the BBC explained. They added, “The Church traditionally held a vigil on All Hallows’ Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.” This was Halloween.“Hallow” is derived from “hallowed,” meaning holy.It became popular because, after Pope John Gregory III dedicated a chapel to all the saints on the 1st of November in the 8th century, Pope Gregory IV made the festival universal in the Western Catholic Church.The date of “All Hallows’ Eve” changedThe Orthodox church celebrates All Hallows’ Eve on “the first Sunday after Passover – a date closer to the original 13th May,” the BBC explained. That’s because, though the celebrations became linked to Pope John Gregory III after his chapel dedication, the festival had actually existed since “Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome, formerly a temple to all the gods, as a church dedicated to Saint Mary and the Martyrs” on 13 May in the 7th century.Later, Pope Urban IV decided to dedicate the day to all saints without a specific named day in their honour. And All Hallows’ Eve used to be a much bigger deal than it is now, Merriam-Webster explained. A 17th-century document stated, “the three grand days are All-hallown, Candlemass, and Ascension day”. Related...19 Best Non-Scary Halloween Movies To Watch This Year (And Where To Stream Them!)The Real Origins Of Halloween Are Wilder Than You'd ThinkHere's What Jack O'Lanterns Originally Looked Like And Now My Dreams Are Haunted

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