Every autumn, Cannactiva transforms itself to celebrate Halloween, a magical date that connects with the new cycle. As nature settles into rest and the cycle of life renews itself, Halloween reminds us of the connection between the visible and the invisible, light and darkness, life and death.
Year after year, we celebrate this time of year by remembering its ancestral roots with the best Halloween CBD deals.
If the Halloween atmosphere inspires you as much as it inspires us, here you’ll find information about the origins of Halloween, and the different themed designs, illustrations and some of the commemorative bundles we’ve launched each year to honour this festival.
At Cannactiva, we see Halloween as an opportunity to create something special. We delve into the ancestral meaning of this tradition to bring to life unique creative work, always in collaboration with local artists, that inspires Cannactivists with the beauty and magic of this time of year, remembering and reinterpreting its ancestral roots and its deepest meaning.
Halloween: origin and meaning
Autumn, known by writers as the season of the soul, unfolds its golden and crimson tapestry through the forests, while the nights slowly grow longer. Halloween is drawing near.
Halloween, which has its origins in Samhain, was a Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest. It was a time of introspection, connection with the earth and gratitude for the harvest.
The Celts believed that, at this time of year, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the spirits grew thinner, allowing souls to return to be remembered and honoured. Because of the belief that the veil between worlds grows thin on these days, games to foretell the future or to communicate with the afterlife using candles, cards, nuts or apples are traditional.
During the Celtic Samhain, bonfires were lit to guide the spirits. Today in Mexico, altars are set up to celebrate life on the “Day of the Dead”, and in many places in Europe, pumpkins light up homes as a symbol of protection and renewal.
Halloween at Cannactiva: our CBD campaigns at Halloween
Halloween has its roots in natural cycles, in renewal and in the energy of the changing season. It is the moment when summer fades and a more introspective stage begins, marked by calm, reflection and transformation. As the poets say, autumn is the season of the soul.
Connecting with the rhythms of nature is essential for wellbeing, which is why every year we like to celebrate this moment with you with unique ideas: visual campaigns, promotions and experiences with the festive spirit of Halloween:
Origin of the name “Halloween”
With the spread of Christianity, some Celtic traditions such as Samhain came to be seen as pagan, and began to merge with or fade into the prevailing religion, Christianity, which was spreading throughout Europe. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated 1 November as All Saints’ Day, and the eve of this day, 31 October, became what we know today as Halloween.
In English, the “eve of All Saints” is called All Hallows’ Eve, which over time gave rise to the name we know today as “Halloween”.
Halloween traditions and symbols
Have you ever wondered what the true meaning of Halloween is, and of all the folklore surrounding it, such as costumes, trick-or-treating and pumpkins?
As explained above, the Celts linked this time of year to death and the spiritual world. They believed that, on the night of Samhain, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead grew thinner, allowing spirits to return to the earthly world.
This belief gave rise to fire rituals, offerings, games to foretell the future and celebrations intended to honour ancestors and protect the living – traditions that over time would evolve into what we know today as Halloween, full of symbolism and connection with nature:
- Lighting bonfires and candles, to guide spirits through the darkness and keep the light alive. These bonfires probably also served as a gathering point for communities, a moment to share stories and remember ancestors. Over time, bonfires have evolved into the subtle, contemplative light of candles, which are still lit at Halloween today to remember, honour and illuminate those who are no longer with us.
- Honouring ancestors, with flowers, photographs and candles lit in their memory.
- Dressing up in costumes or masks, to pass unnoticed among the beings of the other world. Ghost, zombie, witch and bat costumes...
- Decorating in orange and black, symbols of the harvest fire and of the night that heralds winter.
- Carving pumpkins or turnips, creating Jack-o’-lanterns that ward off evil spirits.
- Playing games to foretell the future, with apples, nuts or candles, when the veil between worlds grows thinner.
- Preparing food and drink as offerings, for spirits, fairies and the dead.
- Celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for abundance, before the winter rest.
Trick or treat?
There are several theories about the real origin of “trick or treat”. One version says that, at Samhain, the Celts left food outside to appease the souls wandering that night. It may be that the tradition evolved and people began to dress up to ask for food.
Another interpretation links it to the practice of “guising”, a Scottish variant of “souling”. In medieval times, children and adults asked for food and coins in exchange for blessings for the souls on All Souls’ Day, which was called “souling”. In return for prayers, they were given soul cakes and other offerings. Later, it evolved into practices such as “guising”, a version in which, instead of praying, people played games, told jokes, sang songs or performed tricks, giving rise to today’s trick-or-treating.
What is a modern “invention”, though, is Halloween sweets. It seems that in the past people gave fruit, nuts (let’s not forget it’s the end of the harvest season), coins or toys. It was in the mid-20th century that companies saw this festival as an opportunity to sell sweets, which marketing turned into the most coveted tribute.
“Jack-o’-lanterns”
Making lanterns out of hollowed-out pumpkins, known as “Jack-o’-lanterns”, has its origins in an Irish folk legend about a man called Stingy Jack.
The story goes that Stingy Jack tricked the devil several times so that he could not take his soul to hell. However, when Jack died, he was not admitted to heaven either, because of his life of deceit and wickedness. So he was condemned to wander the Earth for ever. To mock him, the devil gave him a burning ember, which Jack placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to use as a lantern to light his way in the dark.
Over time, this folklore became a popular tradition in Ireland and Scotland, where lanterns were made by hollowing out turnips, beetroots and potatoes, and carving fearsome faces into them to ward off evil spirits. When the Irish and Scots emigrated to North America, they took this tradition with them. Pumpkins, native to the Americas, were bigger and easier to carve, so they began to be used instead of other vegetables, giving rise to the modern tradition of the “Jack-o’-lantern” made from a pumpkin.
Bats, owls, black cats and spiders
The nocturnal animals most associated with Halloween, such as bats, black cats, owls and spiders, have accompanied this festival since ancient times. Their place in this tradition combines observation of nature, superstition and deep symbolism, which has endured through the centuries.
The bonfires lit at the ancient festival of Samhain attracted insects, and these in turn attracted bats. So bats may well have been a common sight during these celebrations.
In the Middle Ages, bats and black cats became associated with witchcraft. It was said that witches could take their form to move between the two worlds. The black colour of these animals reinforced this symbolism: it represented death, darkness and the transforming power of the hidden.
Owls, moreover, have been seen since ancient times as guardians of knowledge and messengers from the beyond. Their silent flight and piercing gaze made them symbols of wisdom, but also of omens. In Carl Jung’s psychology, the owl can be interpreted as a manifestation of the unconscious that watches and understands without being seen, an image of the inner consciousness that emerges in the darkness.
Spiders, for their part, are enigmatic creatures to which meanings such as the idea of destiny have been attributed, as weavers of the web of life. Their web represents the interconnection of all beings and the patience of natural cycles. For Jung, all these animals evoke archetypes of the shadow, the hidden aspects of our psyche that demand recognition. In this sense, the symbols of Halloween are not just emblems of fear or superstition, but bridges towards integrating the unknown.
These associations, reinforced by centuries of folklore and superstition, have led these animals to become symbols of witchcraft and of Halloween, and of everything surrounding this festival.
In short…
If you thought Halloween was just a commercial celebration of costumes and sweets, we hope you’ll now see it through different eyes. Like all traditions, this festival also holds an ancestral wisdom, connected to the rhythms of nature, that invites us to look into it with respect and curiosity.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as we love sharing it. We wish you a Happy Halloween, Cannactivist.
May the Peace be with UUuuuuuhhhh!!!
