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myhousestats t1_iuecnuv wrote

Reply to comment by jezreelite in Simple/Short/Silly History Questions Saturday! by AutoModerator

That's the same information I've learned about costumes and trick-or-treating.

What about bonfires and hollowed, lit pumpkins? Some sources say that the pumpkins were burnt fat of the human and animal sacrifices that were burned in the bonfires.

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jezreelite t1_iueeqof wrote

Carved pumpkins were originally carved turnips and rutabagas meant to scare off evil spirits and also referenced a folk tale about a greedy man named Jack.

Carving pumpkins became a thing when British and Irish people began colonizing North America and began using pumpkins instead, which had the advantage of being bigger, easier to carve, and more abundant in the Americas than turnips or rutabagas.

While it's often popular to try to connect these practices to ancient Celtic polytheism, the truth is the actual evidence is quite lacking. Not much is actually known about any ancient Celtic religion or its practices.

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