Halloween Facts and Traditions

                           

Halloween Traditions and Facts

Clumsy Bat

About Halloween Traditions

There are many Halloween traditions and symbols, almost as many as Christmas. Halloween is one of the biggest and best holidays of the year. Many people say it’s their favorite holiday of the year. Sure, it’s eerie, scary, and filled with frights. But, if you go along with the theme of the holiday season, it’s loads of fun. So, while Samhan, the Lord of Darkness roams the planet during All Hallow’s Eve, get out and enjoy the Halloween season to the fullest.

For many, the frights are akin to riding a roller coaster. Getting scared out of your wits is the thrill you seek. And, those who love this day tell you that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You can decorate a little or a lot. There’s no gift giving, so you don’t have the stress of shopping for the perfect gift and wrapping presents. That means it’s a whole lot easier on your budget. And, you don’t have to spend hours sending out Halloween cards. On the other hand, you get to enjoy Halloween parties and games. And, you can bake countless Halloween recipes. 

Halloween is second only to Christmas in spending. Consumers spend over $2.5 Billion during Halloween. That’s a whole lot of candy, costumes, decorations, and party goods.

Like Christmas, Halloween is steeped in traditions. While Christmas can be a stressful period, Halloween is all about fun. People really get into the Halloween tradition and “spirit”. Some religions are against celebrating Halloween, citing its roots in the ancient Druid religion. While this is true, Today’s Halloween celebrations are all about fun, with a generous amount of imagination.

The Origin of Halloween

Halloween’s roots can be traced back to Celtic culture in Ireland. According to their “Druid” religion, November 1st was New Years’ on their calendar. The celebration would begin on October 31st, and last into the following day. The spirits of all who died in the prior year, would rise up and roam the earth on this night.

This is an evil night when spirits roamed the streets and villages. Lord Samhain, the lord of Darkness, would arrive in search of the spirits to take them to the underworld.

Halloween as it is currently celebrated with costumes, trick or treat, and superstitions, takes from this Druid Holiday.

 

All Hallow's Eve

Halloween was called Hallow E’en in Ireland. Halloween evolved from “All Hollows” Eve. It originated from the pagan holiday honoring the dead. On All Hallows Eve, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was thin. It allowed the souls of the dead to come back to earth and walk among the living. People would leave out food and candies for the dead, in the hope that the evil spirits would leave them alone. They would also carve out turnips and rutabagas, and place embers in them to ward off the evil spirits. This glowing predecessor to the pumpkin Jack O’Lantern would keep the souls of the dead away.  More on carving turnips.

The Roman Catholic Church created All Saints Day (also called Hallowmas) on November 1 to honor Saints and All Souls Day on November 2 to honor and pray for the souls of the dead. These holidays were created by the church, in part to downplay the pagan holidays of Hallow E’en. Needless to say, it did not succeed. Halloween, as we know it today, has grown from the ancient Druid Holiday. Along the way both fun, frights, and Satanic twists have been added to the mix.

Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper Icon

Samhain, The Lord of Darkness

The Druid religion of Celtic tribes worshipped Samhain, the Lord of Darkness. To some, he was also referred to as the “lord of the Dead”.  The Druid New Year began on November 1st, as the hours of nighttime were growing significantly over the hours of sunlight. Hence, Lord Samhain reigned over the long winter months as the influence of the Sun god receded. More on Samhain.

Pumpkin With Lid

Pumpkin Roots

Pumpkins have inhabited the planet for thousands of years. They originated in Central America. They were used then (and now) as a food crop. Over centuries, pumpkins spread their vines across all of North and South America. When Europeans arrived in the New World, they found pumpkins plentiful and used in cooking by Native Americans. They took seeds back to Europe where they quickly became popular. Pumpkin recipes

Did you Know? There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange. Hard to believe for such an important color? The same is true for the colors purple and silver. But, who cares about silver and purple…they are not pumpkin colors!

Growing big pumpkins is a big-time hobby. And, serious at that. Top prize money for the biggest giant pumpkin is as much as 25,000 dollars at fall festivals. The current world record for giant pumpkins is 1446 pounds. Now that’s a lot of pumpkin pies! See the current world record pumpkin.

Carving pumpkins is a traditional and fun part of Halloween. You can carve simple designs or intricate patterns. More on Carving

Pumpkin Smiling

The First Jack O'Lantern

The Irish carved Turnips and put coals or small candles inside. They were placed outside their homes on All Hallow’s Eve to ward off evil spirits. They were also known to use potatoes and Rutabagas.

When Irish Immigrants came to America, they quickly discovered that Jack O’Lanterns were much easier to carve out and began using them. This truly neat tradition quickly spread to the general population in America and elsewhere.

Others believe that the first Jack O’Lanterns came from the Story of Stingy Jack.

Coffin

Dio De Los Muertos

In English, this holiday translates to “The Day of the Dead”. It is an important Mexican holiday. Where Americans shy away from the topic of death, Mexicans embrace it. On this day, they celebrate it in a big way. Asian cultures are also known to honor the dead in October. More on Dio De Los Muertos

Frankenstein Family
Candy Corn

Halloween Trick or Treating

It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating. In preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, Irish townsfolk would visit neighbors and ask for contributions of food for a feast in the town.

There are also some references that the Boy Scouts played a role in the creation of Trick or Treating. This seems a bit odd, as Boy Scouts is well known for volunteering and giving, yet Trick or Treating is all about “receiving”.

Enjoy Our Other Halloween Pages and Resources

More of Our Halloween Celebration Pages

Halloween Party Games – The perfect games, for any age, to make your Halloween party a spook-tacular success!

Pumpkin Nook The Internet’s authority on pumpkins knows how to celebrate and enjoy Halloween.. Check out the “Halloween Central” section.

Samhain, the Lord of  Darkness

Halloween Parties – tips and ideas

Pumpkin Carving and Pumpkin Carving Parties

Halloween Party Recipes – snacks and munchies galore

About Spider Webs – They’ll give you the creeps

Even More October Fun

 If you love October, and you love Halloween, you will love Pumpkin Nook!

Pumpkin Picking Tips – How to pick the perfect Halloween pumpkin

Scarecrows – History, trivia, how to make them.

Fortune Pumpkin Now here is a different way to get an online fortune cookie.

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Did You Know? There are literally thousands of holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Many new holidays are being created on a very frequent basis. Consequently, at Holiday Insights we strive to thoroughly research and report details of each one as accurately as possible.  

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