Happy Halloween
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I have such fond memories of carving pumpkins, my boys dressing up as their favorite character and my family going out together to trick or treat. This year there are many more restrictions on the holiday fun, but I hope that you are still able to make some memories. That’s the important part! Here are 5 Fun Facts about why we celebrate Halloween in the way we do today:
1. Dressing up in costumes was a way to hide from ghosts.
The tradition originated as a way for the Celtic and other European people to hide from the spirits who returned at this time of year. People wore masks when they left their homes after dark so the ghosts would think they were fellow spirits. To keep the ghosts out of their houses, people would place bowls of food outside to make them happy.
2. Jack-o-lanterns were originally carved into turnips.
In a traditional Celtic story, a man named Jack tricked the Devil, so after Jack died the Devil made him roam the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the piece of coal in a carved-out turnip, a common vegetable there, and became known as Jack of the Lantern. Irish and Scottish people would carve their own versions of Jack's lantern with scary faces and place them near windows or doors to frighten away Jack or other evil spirits. When immigrants brought the tradition to America, the native pumpkin was more available than turnips, and today's jack-o-lanterns were born.
3. Trick-or-treating likely evolved from the medieval custom of "souling" .
On All Souls' Day celebrations, poor people would knock on doors asking for food in exchange for saying prayers for the home's dead relatives.
4. Cats have been part of the history of Halloween.
During the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, priests used cats as part of a ritual to try to predict the future.
5. The custom of decorating with black and orange for Halloween.
Orange is seen throughout autumn's changing leaves and is a symbol of strength and endurance, while black is typically the color of death. The Celtics may have been the first people to use this color combination to gain strength for the long winter ahead and celebrate the dead during the Samhain holiday.