Halloween - the History of an Ancient Holiday

Halloween is one of those days which both children and adults always look forward to, after Christmas, and Independence Day, Halloween is the most celebrated day in America. People indulge themselves in playing pranks and wearing scary costumes. The children also go out for some Trick-or-Treating. While all this is so much fun, most of us don’t know about the real origin of Halloween and why we do the things we do to celebrate it.

Halloween was brought to America by the Irish people in the 1840s. The word Halloween actually refers to ‘All Hallows Eve’ which is celebrated on 31st October in the north-west of Europe. Their New Year began on November 1st which is celebrated as ‘All Saints Day’. So ‘All Hallows Eve’ is actually the eve of ‘All Saints day’.

The origins of Halloween date back to 5th century BC in Ireland. The Celtic tribes that inhabited the place celebrated their new year on November 1st. On the eve of the New Year they celebrated the festival Samhain. This day marked the end of summer season and the beginning of winter. The people believed that on this day the spirits of the dead people descended upon earth and would try to enter any living soul. So they wore scary clothes dressing up like ghouls, witches etc and made spooky noises in order to confuse the ghosts that they were dead and not living. This is why people now dress up as ghosts and other monsters during Halloween.

Even the Trick-or-Treat part of Halloween has its own origin. It is believed that on Halloween priests and saints would go out to each and every house to pray for the soul of any of their dead relatives in exchange for some cakes and buns.

Halloween is nothing without the Jack-O-Lantern. The Jack-O-Lantern is derived from a person called Jack who was being chased by the devil because he was destined to go to Hell. Later, he tricked the devil into climbing up a tree. When the devil was in the tree Jack carved a cross on it to prevent him from coming down. The devil then made a pact with Jack that he wouldn’t throw him in Hell if he removed the cross. When Jack died he neither went in Hell nor in Heaven. So he wandered the earth with only a candle to light his path. This candle was placed in turnip to prevent it from extinguishing. Later on, when Irish people came to America, the turnip was replaced with a pumpkin.

All this has finally lead to the present day scenario where people decorate their home in a spooky way and kids go out dressed up like ghosts for some trick-or-treating.

Halloween can be fun and exciting for kids. The idea of dressing up and going from house to house in search of candy treasures, fills their little minds with glee. Although Halloween is exciting, it can also be dangerous. This Halloween, make sure you are keeping your children safe by following a few simple steps.

First, make sure your children are wearing clothing that is light reflective. Dark and scary costumes are super fun, but they can also be super dangerous because cars cannot see kids that are dressed in dark colors. Have your children wear lighter colors, and purchase a few glow sticks that your kids can wear. They now sell glow sticks that kids can wear like necklaces or bracelets. These are easy to see and fun to wear, too.

The second thing you can do to keep your children safe this Halloween is to make sure that they are traveling in a group. Never send your child out alone. It is always safer to have a few parents take their children out together.

Not only does this make the holiday even more fun, but it keeps kids safer from predators. Going trick-or-treating in a group is also safer because cars may not always see a child on their own. Groups are always easier to see. Remember, safety in numbers.

Finally, always check your child's candy before letting them eat it. Throw away any candy that looks torn or opened, and go ahead and get rid of the candy that looks particularly bad for them. The kids get so much candy for Halloween that they will never notice if you pitch the candy that has excessive food coloring or preservatives.

As long as your child does not have a chocolate allergy, stick with chocolate candies that do not contain too many chemical additives.

Halloween can be a super fun holiday when you keep kids safe and healthy. Make sure your kids are safe and protected. Following these easy steps will give parents the peace of mind they need to really enjoy this Halloween. Remember, have fun, stay safe, and don't eat too much candy!

Learn more about the history and origins of Halloween traditions like Costumes, Trick-or-Treating, Jack-O-Lanterns and more at TrueGhostTales.com. New ghost stories and paranormal articles are added to the website every day. You will find ghosts, demons, poltergeists and everything that falls within the realm of the supernatural.