October 31, 2021
What is Halloween?
Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on the 31st of October.
Halloween is celebrated by people dressing up in various types of costumes and going door to door and collecting candy from neighbours, however it comes from a traditional celebration that used to be quite different! The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
While it is not an official holiday, Halloween is becoming more and more popular each year – especially in Western countries in Europe and North America. It is becoming so popular that it is now estimated to have the second-highest amount of spending in the United States (after Christmas).
When is Halloween celebrated?
Halloween is celebrated every year on the 31st of October.
When did Halloween start?
2,000 years ago, Halloween was believed to originate during the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This was held on the night of October 31st, when the borders between the living and the dead were thought to blur and ghosts and demons would return to Earth.
The night was celebrated with bonfires, animals sacrifices, and dressing up in scary costumes to ward off evil spirits. It was thought that fortune telling was more accurate because the boundaries between the living and the dead were so muddied, so during this time was when the druids would make predictions about the future to the townspeople.
The Roman influence eventually made its way to the Celtics and November 2nd became known as ‘All Souls Day’, a day to honour the dead.
All Souls day was also called All-hallows, and the night before, All-hallows Eve, which eventually became Halloween.
Did you know..?
The first known use of the term Trick or Treat was used in the 1920s. Kids would run around town and demand treats or else they would do ‘tricks’ such as stealing random objects and have mischievous fun.
Eventually ‘trick or treat’ became a tradition of going door to door asking for treats. It was thought that this was started to deter the kids from causing trouble, and instead go out with their families.
How is Halloween celebrated?
People dress up in costumes of spooky creatures (or their favourite pop culture icon) and go door to door to pick up sweets and treats from houses.
Parties are also thrown and there are special ‘ghost tours’ around major cities. Over the years, Halloween has grown more and more in popularity, and now people celebrate in lots of creative ways.
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/halloween-around-the-world
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