Halloween

According to historians, Halloween was an ancient Celtic holiday called Samhain which happened on October 31st. Samhain celebrated the end of the summer. The word Halloween is a corrupted form of the phrase "All Hallow's Eve", a feast day celebrated by the Catholic Church that happens the day before All Saint's Day, which is November 1st.

 

In Ireland, these two festivals and events were combined into a holiday that is similar to our modern day Halloween. According to tradition, the Irish would carve scary faces in turnips in order to frighten evil spirits which were thought to roam the earth on that particular day. They also put candles in the turnips in order to keep away the darkness. As with all things, traditions change over time. Because pumpkins were inexpensive and readily available, people carved them in order to scare off spirits. Carved pumpkins became known as jack-o-lanterns. Even today, people carve their pumpkins and put candles inside to keep away the darkness, even if they don't believe or fear being posessed by evil spirits!

 

Trick or treating came from a tradition called "souling" that happened in England and Europe. On the holiday, people would beg for bread and other sweets. In exchange for food, they would offer to pray for the souls of dead relatives. Over time, people would dress up in costumes when they went begging. In America, people began to give sweets instead of bread. However, trick-or-treating did not really become acceptable until the 1940's or 1950's.

 

Today, many people all around the world celebrate the holiday by dressing up and going trick-or-treating. Even adults participate in the holiday by attending halloween parties and dressing up in costume.

 

Halloween Party

Halloween is fast approaching, and with it comes the promise of ghoulish parties and zany costumes affixed with a strategic amount of fake blood. Planning a party can be a way to express your inner demonic aura. With a little time and creativity you can create an atmosphere that rivals even the most haunting thriller on the big screen.