History of Witches and Halloween

Witches are one of the key daunting symbols associated with Halloween. The relationship between these two entities began thousands of years ago, when modern medicine was not imaginable. When a person fell ill, sage women who learned to harness the power of healing herbs and similar treatments came to the rescue. Although these women existed, little is understood about the specific practices and medicine used during this time. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, members of the clergy became unsettled at the sheer existence of women who had the ability to heal others. The Church believed all healing should come at the hands of a man. Over the years, women with healing abilities developed into an "anti-Christian" symbol and many were accused of worshipping Satan to achieve such ability. 

With religious authorities planting the seed of fear into the minds of many, the idea of witches roaming free in the world began to run like wild fire in colonized civilizations. Those accused of practicing witchcraft, oftentimes women, were quickly punished by execution for the entire village or colony to see. Likewise, the Church continued to reinforce the idea that witches and the devil went hand in hand. With the ongoing executions of women accused of participating in witchcraft practices, it became easier to conform the general public into a unified belief that witches are bad. An inaccurate viewpoint of history tells us that witches were accused for being satanic figures that had no part in humanity, when in reality the truth may lie in the fact that powerful religious men did not like the idea of women holding a powerful position. 

Throughout the years, it become more applicable to equate the horrifying history of witches to the more sinister side of Halloween. The ancient tradition of Halloween originated with the festival of Samhain, when people believed ghosts of the dead would return to earth. As a result, they would wear costumes, which typically contained animal heads and skins, to scare off these spirits. As the holiday became more modernized, witches once described as old and ugly creatures in history became an effortless connection to Halloween and a popular costume choice for many.