Halloween and Witches

 With the upcoming arrival of one of my favorite holidays, Halloween, I thought it would be fun to discuss a topic of Halloween and witches and how they have become so closely related. When I was little, I was probably a witch for halloween at least 3 times. My mom thought it was the cutest thing. I wore a long pointy hat, a purple sparkly skirt, a stuffed cat sitting on my shoulder, and of course my broomstick. But why did witches begin to become associated with Halloween? What is the origin of this extremely popularized and child-appealing holiday? 

Halloween originated around November 1st in the Celtic countries of Ireland and Scotland. It was originally a holiday that marked the transition to winter - a time that many Celtics considered to be a connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead could come back to life because of this close connection of the physical and spiritual world. People would wear costumes and the hides of animals to warn off evil spirits. Eventually, with the Christian and Evangelical conquering of the Celtic lands, the Pope establish All Souls Day on November 1st and October 31st became All Hallow's Eve and eventually Halloween. In the mid-19th century, Irish immigrants brought the holiday to America and it became more commercialized to how we think of it today. 

Because the fear and stereotypes of witches continued for quite some time as Christianity continued to spread, naturally these fears carried over to Halloween. The eerie feelings of death and doom extended not just to the spirits of the dead, but to all supernatural forces as well, especially because witches were thought to be able to connect with the dead. With the changes of Halloween becoming a more lighthearted and fun holiday, witches became more theatrical and dramatized. Hollywood movies depicted witches as being more glamorous and witty. In one of my favorite Halloween films Hocus Pocus. The movie focuses on the Resurrection of three witch sister who were killed during the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts in the 1600s. The sisters are eventually reawakened by a young boy who lives in the town and discovers them on Halloween night. The witches unleash chaos and dark magic throughout the town, but are ultimately defeated by the children who live there. 

Popular and dramatized movies like Hocus Pocus reinforce the stereotypes about witches, and there is still a fun fascination with them today, especially on Halloween. However, it is important to note the changes in modern day witchcraft practices. Witchcraft beliefs have evolved from the rise of Wicca and new Pagan foundations. The practicing witches of today emphasize their connection with nature and attempt to refocus their attention to the original beliefs of the changing of the seasons, much different than the idea of witches that many people have currently.