The return of the dearly departed to the living world has been something thats been linked to Halloween since it originated in 5th century B.C. when Celtic society believed that this magical time opened up a sort of connection to the dead. They believed that the world of the living was closest to the world of the dead at the time of Samhain, and that the spirits of the departed traveled again among the living for this short time. They also feared that the spirits of those who had passed during the preceding year would return looking for bodies to possess so they dressed up and acted rowdy to scare the ghosts away. In Europe, before the arrival of Christianity, people would invite their deceased ancestors to join their Halloween celebrations and told ghost stories.

| | Back to Hallowed History | |