The alter egos of Halloween: The birth and evolution of the holiday

Halloween is the Met Gala of all holidays: cultured, ever-evolving, iconic, and fun. With Halloween-themed drinks, miniature pumpkin décor taking up shelf space at every grocery store, and Ann Summers putting cop costumes on sale, the coming of Halloween is inevitable.

This is the season of Dolls Kill purchases and pondering which party to go to – Diskotheca or Neon? The sun is in Scorpio, and we haven’t seen it in days, but the vibes are spooky, mysterious, and major ‘black cat’.  Whether it’s a pumpkin spice latte, Haley Dunphy’s ‘Mother Teresa when she was hot’ costume, pulling pranks, or trick-or-treating that you’re looking forward to, I’d say – do it.

But how did we get here? Halloween is a mosaic of different beliefs and traditions, each piece finding its place over centuries. It is believed to have originated from the Samhain festival associated with the Celts in Europe. Samhain was a pagan festival marking the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter, which was linked to death, regeneration, and the underworld. Ummm, Scorpio season much?

Over the years, Halloween has been constantly fine-tuning its elements and reinventing itself into an alter ego

During Samhain, the envelope separating the living from the dead was considered to get wispier, enabling an amalgamation of the two worlds. The living wore costumes depicting the deceased – possibly to blend in – lit bonfires to ward off evil, and left food out for the weary dead. Some argue that mutations of these traditions can be found in modern-day Halloween traditions.

After the defeat of the Celts by the Romans, a number of Christian traditional influences were added to the mosaic. The church’s celebration of All Saints’ Day on 1 November consequently led to the night before, 31 October, being named ‘All Hallows’ Eve’. The word went through several iterations over the years to become what it is now, Halloween.

All Hallows’ Eve was a commemoration of martyrs, a nod to the memento mori, and an occasion to acknowledge the triumph of light over darkness and the idea of a blissful afterlife. Halloween has since evolved into a secular holiday, now associated with playful pranks, costumes, and trick-or-treating, all arguably derived from these roots. During the Great Famine, the Irish who moved to America brought their traditions with them, and now Halloween is celebrated across the West as a fun holiday where you overthink whether your costume is too niche to be understood or not niche enough to be considered cool.

Over the years, Halloween has been constantly fine-tuning its elements and reinventing itself into an alter ego. The internet can take you to multiple echo chambers about the origins of its many customs associated with the night. All of them are really fun to look into – I’d need a whole book to include them all.

I hope you find the alter ego of Halloween that suits you. Whether that’s decorating your room, getting a warm, cosy drink, and rewatching Beetlejuice or wearing that Ann Summers cop costume to a bar crawl in Leamington Spa

Maybe Halloween doesn’t look like it did many years ago, and it probably won’t look the same in the future. For many, it is a great night to put on a costume and call your friends over, not to mention the clubs that release Halloween night tickets weeks in advance, only for them to sell out in a day or two.

While Halloween might seem childish to some, cringey to a few others, and pointless to the nonchalant folks (you know who you are), eating candy, carving pumpkins, and bobbing for apples (if that’s your thing) are wholesome ways to spend time with friends and family, and I hope these moderate-to-high-effort holidays stick around for a while.

ASAP Rocky once said, “How you gonna knock somebody for trying? Since when has it not been cool to try?” In that spirit, I hope you find the alter ego of Halloween that suits you. Whether that’s decorating your room, getting a warm, cosy drink, and rewatching Beetlejuice or wearing that Ann Summers cop costume to a bar crawl in Leamington Spa, the beauty of tradition lies in finding a meaning that resonates with you.

So, can we please celebrate Halloween in all its glory and let people enjoy it however they want? At least just this year, before my visa expires and I have to head back to where Halloween isn’t a thing.