Then the Romans showed up and, as usual, took a perfectly good Celtic festival and added a tonne of bureaucracy. They mashed Samhain together with two of their own celebrations: Feralia (a day to honour the dead) and a party for Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees.
Pomona’s symbol was an apple—and this, my friend, is why we bob for apples at Halloween parties. It’s not just because it’s hilarious to watch your uncle nearly drown in a bucket of water. It’s a 2,000-year-old fruit tribute. Who knew?
So now you’ve got Celtic ghosts, Roman apples, and a bonfire. The party was getting weird—and we hadn’t even invented trick-or-treating yet.
A Christian Twist (Because of Course)
Fast forward a few centuries, and the Christian Church decided to get involved. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1st as All Saints’ Day—a day to honour all the saints (the cool dead people). October 31st became All Hallows’ Eve.
“Hallows” means “holy,” and “eve” means the night before. So Halloween literally means “the holy night before the saint party.” Fancy, right?
Why do we celebrate Halloween in the UK? Origins and meanings | GoodtoKnow
But here’s the sneaky bit: the Church wanted to Christianise the pagan Samhain. Instead of banning the bonfires and costumes, they said, “Sure, dress up—but dress as saints instead of ghosts!” Spoiler: that didn’t work. People kept the ghosts, added a few angels, and called it a day.
