Halloween Gets a Permanent Date
Pope Gregory III took a bold move toward tying Celtic fall harvest traditions to a religious holiday. In the eight century, he moved All Saints Day from May to November 1. The holiday honored all the saints and martyrs of Catholic tradition. The celebration would start the night before All Saints Day, and this evening was called All Hallows Eve (or as we know it today, “Halloween”). This pairing forever placed Halloween on October 31. They adapted many of the Celtic Halloween traditions, including wearing costumes, evolving them to become church-approved festivities. But the costumes were less animal skins and more symbolic of man’s relationship with the dead and souls from the afterlife. But one tradition remained – visiting neighbor’s houses and asking for treats.