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Halloween: Where Did It All Begin?

Every October, we carve pumpkins, dress as ghosts and witches, tell frightening stories and fill our homes with things that are supposed to scare us.

But Halloween didn't begin with pumpkins and costumes.

Its history reaches back centuries — through Celtic traditions, Christian observances, folklore, bonfires, the belief that the boundary between the living and the dead could become thinner, and some genuinely strange customs that have almost disappeared from memory.

And then there's the Jack-o'-lantern.

Why do we carve faces into vegetables? Where did the story of Stingy Jack come from? And how did a turnip, a wandering soul and a rather unfortunate bargain with the Devil eventually become the pumpkin sitting in your window every October?

In this special Halloween episode of The Eclectic, we go back to the beginning and trace the strange history behind one of the world's most recognisable celebrations.

From Samhain and All Hallows' Eve to ghosts, disguises, bonfires, fortune-telling and the transformation of turnips into pumpkins, this is the story of how Halloween became Halloween.

Because beneath the costumes and sweets is something much older.

A fascination with death, the dead — and what might happen when the two worlds get a little too close.

🎃 Happy Halloween from The Eclectic.

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