10 Things You Didn’t Know About Halloween

Posted on | October 31, 2009 | No Comments

pumpkin

1. Halloween has it’s origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly “summer’s end.” The festival celebrates the end of the lighter half of the year and beginning of the darker half and is sometimes regarded as the Celtic New Year.

2. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits to pass through. A family’s ancestors were honored and invited home and harmful spirits were warded off by wearing of costumes and masks.

3. The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ (All Saints Day) Evening.

4. On All Hallows’ Eve, many Irish and Scottish people have traditionally placed a candle on their western window sill to honor the departed. Other traditions include carving lanterns from turnips or rutabagas. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America where pumpkins are both readily available and much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips.

5. The American tradition of carving pumpkins was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 1800s.

6. A traditional game played on Halloween is a form of divining one’s future spouse by carving an apple in one long strip, then tossing the peel over one’s shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse’s name.

7. Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

8. Halloween was popularized in America after Irish immigrants brought it to the United States in 1846.

9. Halloween is not celebrated in all countries and regions of the world, and among those that do the traditions and importance of the celebration vary widely.

10. The American tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Halloween

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