So
we’re in to October now, which means full on Halloween prep is underway. All
the fall customs…going to a farm to choose your pumpkin, not to mention the
hayrides, hot apple cider, face painting, and caramel apples. Carving a
jack-o-lantern, choosing a costume. My mom made several of mine growing up,
including a witch and princess. There’s trick o’ treating and
Halloween parties.
Those
are all big Halloween traditions in the US. But do you know the
true history behind the holiday? Where did it come from and why was it
celebrated?
In the Beginning
The
origin of Halloween is believed to date back over 2,000 years ago and has its
roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) in what is
now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. The Celts celebrated their
new year on November 1st, which marked the end of summer, and the
harvest, and the beginning of winter. The night before, on October 31st,
Samhain was celebrated. On that night it was believed that the ghosts of the
dead were actually able to walk the earth. To commemorate the event, the Celts
dressed up in costumes and built huge bonfires to burn crops and make animal
sacrifices. When Samhain was over, they re-lit their hearth fires from the sacred
bon fire in order to protect their families during the winter.
The Holiday Evolves
By
the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st
All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows Eve, a time to honor all saints and martyrs.
The holiday incorporated many of the Samhain traditions, including bonfires,
parades and dressing up in costumes. Eventually, All Hallows Eve became known
as Halloween.
In the US, the more popular traditions we see (such as dressing
up & trick or treating) didn’t begin to take shape until the second half
the nineteenth century, mostly due to the large influx of Irish immigrants who began
arriving in the 1840s. It wasn’t until the 1950s that Halloween evolved into a
secular holiday mainly aimed at children.
Halloween Holiday Trivia:
Jack o’
Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out
turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
It takes
an average of 252 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
According
to the National Confectioner’s Association, more than 35 million pounds of
candy corn will be produced this year.
Tootsie
Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
Halloween
candy sales in the US average about $2 billion dollars annually.
Chocolate
candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with
Snickers #1.
Bobbing
for apples is thought to have originated from the Roman harvest festival that
honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
Black
cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
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