Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated on November 1. The Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits to cross over. They would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The traditions of dressing in costumes and going door-to-door for food or money date back to the Celtic holiday and Christian holidays. Symbols of Halloween like black cats, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins are intricately tied to the observances and superstitions of Samhain.

2. ANCIENT ORIGINS OF
HALLOWEEN

3. The term “Halloween” appeared only in
the seventeenth century and is a Scottish
abbreviation the “Allhallow- even” ,
literally (eve of all saints)

4. Halloween’s origins date back to the
ancient Celtic festival of Samhain

5. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area
that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and
northern France, celebrated their new year on
November 1.

6. This day marked the end of summer and
the harvest and the beginning of the dark,
cold winter, a time of year that was often
associated with human death

7. On the night of October 31 they celebrated
Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts
of the dead returned to earth.

8. According to the story,
Stingy Jack invited the Devil
to have a drink with him.
True to his name, Stingy Jack
didn’t want to pay for his
drink, so he convinced the
Devil to turn himself into a
coin that Jack could use to
buy their drinks
Jack & Devil

9. Once the Devil did so, Jack
decided to keep the money
and put it into his pocket next
to a silver cross, which
prevented the Devil from
changing back into his original
form. Jack eventually freed
the Devil, under the condition
that he would not bother Jack
for one year and that, should
Jack die, he would not claim
his soul

10. The next year, Jack again
tricked the Devil into
climbing into a tree to pick a
piece of fruit. While he was
up in the tree, Jack carved a
sign of the cross into the
tree’s bark so that the Devil
could not come down until
the Devil promised Jack not
to bother him for ten more
years.

11. Soon after, Jack died. As the
legend goes, God would not
allow such an unsavory
figure into heaven. The
Devil, upset by the trick Jack
had played on him and
keeping his word not to
claim his soul, would not
allow Jack into hell. He sent
Jack off into the dark night
with only a burning coal to
light his way.

12. Jack put the coal into a
carved-out turnip and has
been roaming the Earth
with ever since. The Irish
began to refer to this
ghostly figure as “Jack of the
Lantern,” and then, simply
“Jack O’Lantern
BEFORE
AFTER

13. HALLOWEEN
TRADITIONS

14. The American Halloween
tradition of “trick-or-
treating” probably dates
back to the early All
Souls’ Day parades in
England.
Trick or treat

15. During the festivities, poor
citizens would beg for food
and families would give
them pastries called “soul
cakes” in return for their
promise to pray for the
family’s dead relatives

16. The distribution of soul
cakes was encouraged by
the church as a way to
replace the ancient
practice of leaving food
and wine for spirits

17. The practice, which
was eventually taken
up by children who
would visit the houses
in their neighborhood.
They receive ale, food,
and money.

18. DRESSING IN COSTUME
The tradition of dressing in
costume for Halloween has
both European and Celtic
roots.

19. SUPERSTITION

20. Black Cat
Today’s Halloween ghosts
are often depicted as more
fearsome and malevolent,
and our customs and
superstitions are scarier
too. We avoid crossing
paths with black cats, afraid
that they might bring us
bad luck.

21. This idea has its roots in
the Middle Ages, when
many people believed
that witches avoided
detection by turning
themselves into cats.

22. We don´t try to walk under
ladders for the same reason. This
superstition may have come
from the ancient Egyptians who
believed that triangles were
sacred. Also may have something
to do with the fact that walking
under a leaning ladder tends to
be fairly unsafe
Ladders

23. Mirrors & Spilling salt
& Stepping on cracks
Especially around
Halloween, we try to
avoid breaking
mirrors, stepping on
cracks in the road or
spilling salt.

24. Symbols

25. It is an animal symbol
of Halloween. It is the
weaver of destinations.
Among its main
symbols, we can
mention the danger,
diligence and wisdom

26. They are one of the
main symbols of
Halloween and were
the cause of its
celebration

27. However, the witches
were not part of an evil
and demonic imagery.
Witches were considered
wise women and a great
connection with nature

28. Originally it was
not part of the
symbolic elements
of the festivities of
Halloween

29. With the emigration of
people of Celtic origin to the
United States, the turnip that
was usually used as a
flashlight in the Halloween
night, it was replaced by
pumpkin. That's because this
crop was more abundant in
the American country.

30. It is part of the imagery
that is related to
witches. Legend has it
that witches turn into
black cats and they also
embody the spirits of
people already dead

31. It is used for
transportation by
witches, is another very
symbolic element
associated with witches.
It symbolizes the
feminine power and
cleansing of negative
thoughts and energies

32. It symbolizes the light
of the soul of life. It was
used from the
beginning of the
Halloween celebration
to illuminate the path
of the spirits of the
dead who came to visit
their relatives.

33. It is part of the imaginary
of the celebrations of
Halloween, as the
vampire. Both represent
the world of darkness,
the dark, and the night

34. HALLOWEEN COLORS

35. Precisely because
the pumpkin is
one of its main
symbols
PUMPKIN COLOR

36. Symbolizes mystery and
the passage from life to
death

37. Symbolizes evil. It is the color
of night and adversity.
Furthermore, it is also a
reference to the mystery