Where Did Halloween Come From
David Slone
August 30, 2007
Every year millions of Americans celebrate Halloween. We decorate our houses and our yards to try to make them look as spooky as possible. In recent years the decorations have become more and more elaborate. It is almost as though people are getting into the Halloween decorating with as much fervor as they do at Christmas.
Our children, as well as a lot of adults, dress up in costumes that range from horribly scary to outright funny. Children look forward to Halloween becusue they love to go out Trick-or-Treating, roaming up and down the neighborhood streets knocking on doors and holding put their treat bags. When I was a child we usually had home made costumes. Today store bought ready made costumes are more the norm.
Halloween rouses up images of witches, brooms, cauldrons, spiders, black cats, ghouls and ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns. Jack-O-Lantern carving has become an art form among many Americans. Some of us even compete in community contests to see who can carve the scariest or funniest Jack-O-Lanterns.
Haunted Houses are very popular during Halloween. All kinds of groups from schools to community groups are organizing and running haunted houses to entertain trick or treaters and parents alike.
Schools, and even some churches commonly hold Halloween fairs with games, prizes and activities like hay rides and bobbing for apples. I recall many fun times as a child when I attended these school Halloween fairs.
Did you ever wonder where the traditions we observe at Halloween came from? What is Halloween really all about? Contrary to what some people may believe there was never anything inherently evil about Halloween.
The ideas about witches, the devil and monsters being associated with Halloween are later additions to the holiday we celebrate late in October.
Halloween actually has it's roots in the Celtic culture. Many of the traditions we observe today have come straight to us from the Irish. The Romans came along soon after the death of Christ and added their own influences on the already age old traditions and celebrations.
Over time the meanings and observances of Halloween have changed both in function and purpose. The Irish came to America bringing their culture and traditions including much of what we now know as Halloween.
If you would like to learn more about the origins of this fascinating holiday head on over to True Ghost Tales where you will find lots of scary ghost stories and the history and
origins of Halloween. You can find it all at http://www.trueghosttales.com
Our children, as well as a lot of adults, dress up in costumes that range from horribly scary to outright funny. Children look forward to Halloween becusue they love to go out Trick-or-Treating, roaming up and down the neighborhood streets knocking on doors and holding put their treat bags. When I was a child we usually had home made costumes. Today store bought ready made costumes are more the norm.
Halloween rouses up images of witches, brooms, cauldrons, spiders, black cats, ghouls and ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns. Jack-O-Lantern carving has become an art form among many Americans. Some of us even compete in community contests to see who can carve the scariest or funniest Jack-O-Lanterns.
Haunted Houses are very popular during Halloween. All kinds of groups from schools to community groups are organizing and running haunted houses to entertain trick or treaters and parents alike.
Schools, and even some churches commonly hold Halloween fairs with games, prizes and activities like hay rides and bobbing for apples. I recall many fun times as a child when I attended these school Halloween fairs.
Did you ever wonder where the traditions we observe at Halloween came from? What is Halloween really all about? Contrary to what some people may believe there was never anything inherently evil about Halloween.
The ideas about witches, the devil and monsters being associated with Halloween are later additions to the holiday we celebrate late in October.
Halloween actually has it's roots in the Celtic culture. Many of the traditions we observe today have come straight to us from the Irish. The Romans came along soon after the death of Christ and added their own influences on the already age old traditions and celebrations.
Over time the meanings and observances of Halloween have changed both in function and purpose. The Irish came to America bringing their culture and traditions including much of what we now know as Halloween.
If you would like to learn more about the origins of this fascinating holiday head on over to True Ghost Tales where you will find lots of scary ghost stories and the history and
origins of Halloween. You can find it all at http://www.trueghosttales.com
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