Ancient Origin Of Halloween Masks

ncient custom of wearing Halloween masks, justChristianic saints. People still feared ghosts and
like Halloween itself, goes back to the ancient ritualother spirits on October 31st, despite what the
called Samhain, the origins of modern Halloween.church said. This practice of wearing masks after
Unlike Halloween masks today, which are wornnightfall was a tradition far rooted into human
for fun and trick-or-treating, Halloween masksculture, dating back further than Samhain.
during Samhain were used for religious purposes,Thousands of years ago humans wore masks
believed to protect them from evil spirits andafter big disasters or droughts to scare off
ghosts. Halloween masks have evolved sincelingering demons. They believed that demons
those first ceremonies 2,000 years ago into acaused all major catastrophes, and that belief
festive way to celebrate Halloween, with youngeven existed in the 1800s. Merged with the
children parading around in masks duringpractice of Samhain and All Saints Day, Europeans
trick-or-treat. Here are the true origins ofreligiously wore masks during Halloween to
Halloween masks and how they've evolved overprotect themselves from evil spirits.
the centuries.When the immigration boom hit America in the
Origins Trace Back to a Dark Celtic Festivalmid-1800s, European immigrants flooded American
Halloween masks were first used in an ancientsoil, bringing the tradition of Halloween masks with
Celtic festival called Samhain, pronounced sow-in.them. Their origins melded with the Native
Traditionally celebrated at the end of October, itAmerican-European origins, developing into modern
signified the last harvest. Celts believed onAmerica's version of Halloween.
October 31st, the realm between the dead andOrigins of Modern Halloween Masks in America
the living merged, which caused problems for theHalloween was very taboo up to the twentieth
living. To combat that (and calm angry spirits)century -- most believed it was an evil holiday and
they built big bonfires, overseen by druids, andrefused to celebrate it. Most celebrations were
sacrificed animals, hoping to appease the dead.very small, consisting of small parades and
They also wore masks made from animal heads.celebrations.
They would don these crudely fashioned animalProblems developed during this time. Vandalism
heads to mimic dead spirits. It was also used towas rampant across America, mostly the work
appease angry spirits.of mischievous, curious children. Eventually parents
As Samhain developed into the Celts' commongot tired of the vandalism, so they dug back to
holiday, Celts wore masks outside bonfiretheir Samhain origins and revived the use of
ceremonies. Celts even wore it before leaving thecostumes and masks. In 1920, Anoka, Minnesota
house, fearing for their own lives. This belief --was the first town to hold citywide celebrations
that masks protected you from dead spirits --with people in full-masked attire. Trick-or-treating
carried on for hundreds of years, even aftergrew out of this lone celebration in Anoka.
Pope Boniface IV turned it into a Christian holidayAnokans believe the origins of modern Halloween
called All Saints Day. Christians and pagans alikecame from their city, although that's debatable.
believed that evil sprits lurked in the night, readyFrom that point on, it developed into our modern
to snatch innocent people if they weren'tversion of masks, worn for fun during
disguised. These were the first origins oftrick-or-treat. It wasn't so fun in the days of the
Halloween masks.Celts, who feared for their lives, but over the
The Origins of Halloween Masks in Nineteenthcenturies, these ancient origins developed into
Century Europemodern, fun versions. Now all Halloween is to us is
By the 1800s Halloween morphed into afun and joy on the 31st of October.
church-sanctioned holiday, centered on celebrating