As of writing, Halloween is next Tuesday, so I have decided to do a history of Halloween for a little seasonal fun ( lol, I actually am required to do a Halloween post, but it’s not the worst subject to do, am I right?). Anyway, I will also do a Thanksgiving post and a Christmas post. Also for those that aren’t interested in history I will have a fun Halloween traditions part.

The History of Halloween

The Celtic peoples of ancient Europe had a tradition when on a day in fall, the fall equinox, they believed that the spirits of their loved ones would manifest as blue floating spheres known as “ will o’ the wisp’s”. Also for some reason, this was the day that their year started, so yeah a little disturbing. In the areas that had Celtic tradition survive, they fused with  Christian tradition to create All Hallow’s Eve. All Hallows Eve was the day all the evil spirits came to haunt the living, so they would wear disguises so they wouldn’t be recognized. It was also an excuse to have a party, like Halloween today. As the Irish immigrants came to the United States, they brought All Hallows Eve with them, were it was adapted to become Halloween like it is today.

Halloween traditions

#1 Candy. Candy began in the 1920s as a way to continue the tradition of partying during Halloween. In the 1950s, candy companies used Halloween as an excuse to sell more candy, and by now it is embedded into our imagination of Halloween. My favorite is KitKat

#2 Pumpkin Carving. Carving pumpkins began in Ireland with carving, yes, turnips. They carved turnips because they wanted to scare evil spirts away. When Irish immigrants moved to the USA, they began carving pumpkins because it was native to the area

#3 Halloween Parties. Ok, this one is easy, it’s because people want to have fun. For some people, trick-or-treating isn’t fun, so they want to hang out with their friends, and Halloween is the perfect excuse. And besides, the spookiness of the night makes for a great theme. I’m actually going to 30Kellan’s Halloween spooktackular, but I will still be going trick-or-treating. I’m dressing up as Obi-Wan-Kenobi.

I can’t wait to trick-or-treat ( that’s a family tradition).

Hope you have spooky Halloween!