BY: Molly Gray
It’s the time of year to get spooky! The time to be yourself, dress up, and have fun. Halloween fanatics Kevin Maggard and Alex McCord agree that Halloween is even a time to be a little weird. “I’m weird, but for a whole month, everyone is weird,” says Kevin Maggard. Alex McCord says, “Halloween gives you a chance to embrace your weirdness and be yourself.” So, where did all this fun and weirdness come from?
The Halloween tradition goes back to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. The festival celebrated the end of the year and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that winter was associated with death. They believed that October 31 was when ghosts came back to earth. Druids or Celtic priests would build bonfires during the festival in order to give sacrifices to deities. The Celts would dress up in costumes during the bonfire event.
Many years later, Pope Gregory III started All Saints’ Day on November 1. Eventually, Christianity came to Celtic land. The old rites were blended with the new traditions that Christianity brought. By 1000 A.D., All Souls’ Day was created to honor the dead. All Souls’ Day had people dressing up in costumes like Samhain. All-Hallows Eve was the night before the event and eventually turned into Halloween.
Halloween in America dates back to the colonial days, but it was limited. In the 1800s, Irish immigrants came to America and helped get people more excited about Halloween. However, it became most popular beginning in the 1920s. People began having parties and trick-or-treating during this time more often.
As the years have gone by, Halloween has become popular with all age groups. Children can collect candy and dress up as their favorite characters. Teenagers and adults can have parties and enjoy time with others. Movies, candy, parties, pumpkins and costumes all create a spooky good time. We often do not think about how or where this tradition started, but it is fun to know how the weirdness and excitement started.
(All facts were found on history.com.)
