The History of Halloween
It’s always fun to get ready for Halloween. Whether you’re pumpkin-carving, or maybe making a costume to wear when trick-or-treating, Halloween gives us the chance to be creative. After all, it’s the one time of the year that you can pretend to be whatever you want!
The concept of Halloween has changed over the years, and it’s interesting to look at the origins behind our modern-day celebration.
Originally a pagan celebration, Halloween finds its roots with a Celtic festival, “Samhain.” The Celtic word “Samhain” means end of summer, and alludes to the time of year that the festival was held. Halloween is also called All Saints’ Eve, or All Hallows Eve, as it is the day before All Saints’ Day. Interestingly enough, at one point in history, Halloween and All Saints’ Day occurred on the same day — according to the Christian Calendar in the 9th century, days began at sunset.
- The History Channel has a neat website about the History of Halloween
- How Stuff Works has some explanations of the Origins of Halloween
- And of course, Wikipedia has the general and detailed explanations of possibly everything you might want to know about Halloween.
Ok, onto the topic of pumpkins. Did you know that carving pumpkins didn’t become popular until the celebration of Halloween was brought to North America? Originally in Ireland, people carved lanterns out of turnips. Well, in America, of course, pumpkins were very easy to come by (not to mention easier to carve!), so the tradition evolved to include pumpkin carving.
- How to Carve a Pumpkin — eHow has a basic article on carving a pumpkin.
- How Stuff Works has a very detailed explanation on Pumpkin Carving — from the tools you’ll need to videos showing each step!
- Better Homes & Gardens has a nifty little “Create Your Own Pumpkin Stencil” feature — worth checking out for sure!
And of Course… no Halloween would be complete without costumes or candy. Today, at least in the United States, these are essential parts of Halloween.
- Need some Costume Ideas? While some are pretty corny (”buccaneer” — wear a dollar on each ear), there are also some better ideas to be found.
- More interested in Making Your Costume? This site has some ideas and instructions for the do-it-yourself-er or the parent that wants to let their child help create the “ultimate” costume.
- About.com has some additional Costume Ideas.
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