‘Tis the season to be jolly’ is not what comes to mind when people think of Halloween. This is the time of year when we think ‘Tis the season to scare the crap out of others’. But what is Halloween really? A chance for children to dress up for candy? That time of year to decorate your home with ghost and spiders, witches and skeletons? Like any traditional holiday, this one also has a history which brings meaning to some of our rituals. GearUpTactics enjoys Halloween, so sit back and let’s take a dive into the spooky customs that brings this holiday to life from the grave.
What is Halloween
Halloween is a Celtic tradition dating back more than 2000 years in what is modern day Ireland. These people started their New Year on November 1st because of the welcoming harvest and also the start of their cold, dark winters. Death was also prominent in the winters due to lack of food which could be blamed on a poor harvest, inability to barter for food, or other influences that may have caused famine for families. The night before the New Year, October 31st, was called Samhain, or the day of the dead when ghosts were believed to return due to the barrier between both worlds opening. As time passed, Christianity became popular bringing these rituals into their own religion.
Halloween gets its name from ‘All Hallows Eve’ and the customs we follow are derived from activities that once held specific meanings. Even the colors of black and orange representing Halloween have an old Celtic meaning. The “Death of Summer” was characterized by Black and the color orange indicated Autumn and the harvest season. Today we wear costumes as a fun way to hold parties or go Trick-or-Treating, but many years ago people wore costumes for other reasons besides fun. In order to ward off the ghosts and evil spirits who entered the doorway between worlds on this night, people would wear costumes and build bon fires. Symbols of Halloween also date back through the centuries including bats which were attracted to the insects around the large bon fires, to black cats who were associated with the Devil and pets for witches who would help them in their dark magic. Black cats have been linked to these accusations since the Middle Ages, though I’ve never seen one brewing a potion over a boiling cauldron.
How is it celebrated today
Today we look at Halloween in a different light, or darkness. We decorate our homes with scary things, dress up for Trick-or-Treating, and hold parties with our friends to see what costumes can win at a contest. We hold festivals and even bob for apples. Halloween parties started to become more wide spread in America during the 1920s. Some well-known rituals, such as Bobbing for Apples, were brought into this holiday from other cultures as it was spread around the world. Today dozens of countries celebrate Halloween in one form or another. But the main 3 are the United States, Canada, and the UK. Others have a similar holiday with some differences. Some traditions may vary such as the date, exact meaning, or activities. For example, Mexico honors ‘The Day of the Dead’ by remembering loves ones past. Welcoming the bridge between the sprit realm and our world, they place photos and gifts for the dead to take back with them as a reminder that people here love and think of them. Some would even see it as a celebration.
Conclusion
While many of our superstitions have faded over the centuries, the activities connected to this holiday remain part of our current culture. Halloween has a past long forgotten by society and changed over the years by countries, religions, and time itself. While Trick-or-Treating is no longer about food or mischief, like in the 16th century, but more about goblins and witches getting candy in their pumpkin heads, and black cats holding their superstitious title, its important to know that all traditions had a beginning. So, this Halloween GearUpTactics would like to commemorate how history has changed this holiday of harvests and ghosts into the fun filled holiday we know it to be today.
Also check out our next blog on Halloween Safety to be published soon to help make this year safe and fun for your Super Heros, Princesses, skeletons and ghouls.