Halloween
31 October ~ Halloween is one of the world’s oldest holidays. It is celebrated in many countries around the world and is a blend of Catholic religious rituals, Celtic practices, and European folk traditions. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead, honors deceased loved ones and ancestors.
Halloween has long been considered a day when the dead can return to the earth. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween.
In the 19th century, Halloween became a more secular community-based children’s holiday. In countries such as Ireland, Canada and the United States, adults and children alike revel in the popular Halloween holiday. Traditions include costume parties, trick-or-treating, pranks and games. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.
Did you know?
The first Jack-o-Lanterns were made in Ireland out of hollowed-out turnips. A piece of coal was inserted into the hollow and the “lantern” was meant to guide “old Jack” who wasn’t welcome in Heaven but was barred from Hell for tricking the devil. When the Irish brought this tradition to America, they decided pumpkins were much easier to carve than turnips, and the modern-day Jack-o-Lantern was born!
Q: What is the fear of Halloween called?
A: Samhainophobia
Taken from http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
~CS
