Well, it's that time of year again. Where adults hand out cany, kids go trick or treating, and houses are decked with orange lights, tombstones, and cobwebs.
No matter how fun the holiday may be, the evolution of Halloween is pretty cool. The Halloween we know is a combination of traditions from different places and just a smidge of commercialism. The anicient Celts believed that on Halloween Night, the two worlds (this world and the Underworld) were closer together and spirits could travel into this world. Good spirits, such as deceased family members were welcomed while bad spirits were warded off. So, they disguised themselves so only the good spirits would recognize them. During this time, there were bonfires and celebrations.
The term "Halloween" was derived from Hallowe’en, which was short for "All Hallows' Even". "Even" was short for evening. As you can see, the Celts really liked to shorten things. It was considered pagan, so Christians decided to move All Saints day to the day after Halloween to make it less pagan.
But how did Halloween turn in to the big event it did today? Well, the belief in withces, goblins, ghosts, and all these other things have been around for thousands of years. And it only makes sense to associate these supernatural beings with Halloween.
Today, Halloween is a day of having fun. For me, it marks the begining of the end of the year. It also marks the begining of the Holidays Season, with Thanksgiving and Christmas following weeks later.
So I wish everyone a Happy Halloween. Have fun!
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