How Halloween Began...

Today I will be talking about how Halloween began and the history behind it. So first off, what is Halloween and how did it become a celebration in the year?

Halloween is a celebration where people of all ages and genders can dress up to do fun activities such as trick or treating, carving pumpkins and even coming up with scary pranks to play on their family and friends!

This tradition originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare off ghosts. The evening before November 1st, was known as All Hallows Eve (which also means hallowed evening) and then, as time went by, it became as what we know as it is, to this day, Halloween! Halloween also means the “summer’s end” marking when the summer ends and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.

How was “trick or treating invented?” Well, it’s believed that “trick or treating“ evolved from ritual where Celtic people would dress up as ghosts and demons, performing dances around a bonfire and received treats to appease the evil spirits. In exchange for a treat, people would do card tricks or tell a story.

I am thankful that the Celtic rituals evolved to what Halloween is today. Luckily we celebrate Halloween for fun and not for actually scaring away ghosts and demons.