HALLOWEEN – Here are the history, tradition, culture, and facts about this spooky season that you probably didn’t know.
Halloween is a holiday celebrated every October 31 that has captured the imagination of people in different countries all around the world. The holiday has its roots in ancient traditions and folklore.
Unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving day, this holiday is spooky and mysterious. The intriguing holiday evolved throughout the centuries into a spooky and spectacular event filled with costumes, candies, and a dash of the supernatural.
The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The Celts began the celebration about 2,000 years ago.
Samhain, celebrated on November 1st, was a time when the Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred, allowing spirits to return to the earthly realm. People would wear costumes and light bonfires to honor and appease those spirits.
November 1st became All Saints’ Day, a day to honor saints and martyrs, while the night before, October 31st, came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve, eventually giving rise to the name Halloween.
Over time, various customs from both the Celtic and Christian traditions merged, forming the basis for the Halloween we know today.
The practice of trick-or-treating is an important part of Halloween. Children usually dress up in costumes and go door-to-door asking for treats.
Many people celebrate Halloween by dressing up as their favorite characters or creating original, frightening personas. Haunted houses have also become an important part of the spooky season.
Nowadays, Halloween has become a global holiday, celebrated in different regions across the world. Many people host or attend parties, participate in costume contests, and decorate their homes with eerie and imaginative displays.