History of Halloween

image townofogden

History of Halloween

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Abby_Wilshire]Abby Wilshire

October 31st is a date that both children and adults alike look forward to with anticipation. We decorate our homes and our yards and try to outspook the neighbours. We scare ourselves and each other with movies and pranks and haunted houses. Did you ever wonder how this tradition came about?

The origins of Halloween date back thousands of years ago to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, northern France and the United Kingdom. Their calendar was different than ours is today, and they celebrated their New Year on November 1.

They believed that on the day before the New Year, October 31, the worlds of the living and the dead co-mingled, and they would celebrate Samhain. During Samhain, it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth,and they would run around causing havoc and damaging crops.

The Celts celebrated the night before the New Year by wearing costumes that typically consisted of animal heads and skins. They built huge, sacred bonfires where they would burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. After the celebration, they would light their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire, and this was believed that it would help protect them during the coming winter.

Halloween survived strongly with the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh Communities and immigrants from these countries brought the tradition to North America. The Irish brought over the idea of the children dressing up and going door to door to collect treats, mainly fruit, which was later used for playing games such as bobbing for apples. Carving pumpkins is believed to have come from the tradition of carving ghoulish faces into turnips to hold candles.

The tradition of Trick or Treating as it has developed in North America seems to have more obscure origins, especially the Trick part. Some believe that the original intention was that the spirits would be blamed for any mischievous behavior that occurred. They would do things like hiding everyday items of those adults who were less popular. These harmless pranks have gradually developed into more harmful ones somehow, such as throwing raw eggs, soaping windows, and smashing pumpkins.

As this Halloween comes around, we can remember where this favorite holiday came from, and most importantly, let's keep it all in good fun!

Read more about the history of Halloween and find great savings on Halloween costumes and Halloween decorations at http://www.frightnightcostumes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abby_Wilshire http://EzineArticles.com/?History-of-Halloween&id=2854870