It's Halloween Week at the Manor
History & Origins

Halloween Through the Ages

Two thousand years of Halloween — from ancient harvest fires to modern costume parties.

Bonfire on a hilltop at sunset evoking ancient Celtic fire festivals
Ancient Origins

Samhain: What We Actually Know About Halloween's Celtic Roots

The Celtic fire festival that became Halloween, examined honestly, including what the historical record does and doesn't tell us.
Stone church interior lit by candlelight suggesting medieval All Hallows observance
Medieval

Hallowtide: How the Church Shaped Halloween

All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, soul cakes, and the medieval transformation of pagan customs into the Halloween we recognize.
Candlelit Victorian parlor with draped table suggesting a seance setting
Victorian

Victorian Spiritualism and the Reinvention of Halloween

How the Fox Sisters, seances, spirit photography, and Gothic literature transformed Halloween into a sophisticated social occasion.
Children in Halloween costumes on a 1950s suburban street at dusk
Twentieth Century

The Real Origins of Trick-or-Treating

From medieval souling to the 1927 newspaper in Blackie, Alberta, the surprisingly recent and distinctly North American history of trick-or-treating.
Vintage Halloween costume packaging and decorations from the 1950s displayed on a table
Twentieth Century

How Halloween Became a $12 Billion Industry

The commercialization of Halloween, from homemade masks to mass-produced costumes, and how a folk holiday became retail's second-biggest season.
Fog-filled corridor of a professional haunted house with dramatic lighting
Twentieth Century

The Rise of the Modern Haunt Industry

From Knott's Berry Farm in 1973 to today's immersive horror experiences, how professional haunted attractions became a billion-dollar business.
Elaborately decorated front yard Halloween display with tombstones, fog, and lighting at night
Twentieth Century

The Yard Haunt Movement and the DIY Halloween Renaissance

Home haunters, online communities, the 12-foot skeleton, and how maker culture created a new golden age of Halloween creativity.