When is Halloween? The spookiest festival of the year, Halloween, is just around the corner on October 31. So, it’s time to dust off your costume and start scouting for thrilling attractions and eerie entertainment venues to join the goblins and ghouls in the celebrations.
Origins of Halloween
Over the years, we all have seen people dressed as ghosts and other scary creatures on Halloween. But do you know where these traditions came from?
In the Christian calendar, Halloween falls on the day before All Saints’ Day. This custom dates back many centuries. The word “Hallow” originated from the English term for “holy” and evolved over time to become “Halloween.” It stands for All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve and its purpose is to encourage the imitation of heroic virtue and service rather than of evil characters and ghouls.
Samhain: The Celtic inspiration
The ancient Celtic holiday of ‘Samhain’ inspired Halloween’s tradition of lighting bonfires and warding off ghosts. Originally, this event commemorated the Celtic New Year, a night when it was thought that the line between the living and the dead was blurred. It was believed that this night marked the return of the dead’s spirits to Earth.
All Saints Day was first observed on November 1 by Pope Gregory III in the eighth century, but it was later moved to October 31.
Halloween costumes: The origins
Pagan religious leaders, known as the Druids, used to celebrate ‘Samhain’ by lighting bonfires. The people would sacrifice food and livestock to Celtic deities. The Celts would attempt to foresee each other’s futures while clad in animal heads and hides. After these celebrations, they would go back home and light their hearth fires, a holy blaze to keep them safe over the approaching winter.
When Halloween first became popular, people would get together to sing and dance, tell fortunes, and swap ghost stories. Halloween gradually became a festival focused on fun and festivities as the ‘trick-or-treat’ custom took over.
Halloween around the world
Halloween is a major festival in the US. Now, it is not just an American event and is observed globally. In the US, people not only dress up themselves and their kids for Halloween, but also their four-legged companions. Pet costumes are popular and can range from superheroes to pumpkins.
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