Weekend Plus Desk :
Halloween is popularly known as the spookiest time of the year and is celebrated on October 31. The roots of this ancient holiday date back to the Celtics, who observed their new year on November 1. As the days grew shorter and nights became drawn out, the Celts believed that November 1 marked the end of summer, or the harvest season, and the start of the dark cold winter, which was considered an ominous season, mostly associated with human death.
The ancient people also believed that a night before the new year the boundaries between the natural and supernatural became blurred and they celebrated the return of ghosts to earth on that day, which they called Samhain. These spirits returning to earth were believed to destroy crops and help the Celtic priests, Druids, make predictions for the future of the Celts. Druids built large sacred bonfires to offer sacrifices of crops and animals to deities and the Celts donned costumes made of animal heads and skins and attempted to read each
others’ fortunes.
Over the years, Halloween came to America and people started dressing up as ghosts and going around the neighbourhood for the ‘trick and treat’ tradition. The tradition originally dates back to when rich people would give food to the poor, in return for their promise to pray for them. Now, it has become a famous custom where kids dress up their scariest and collect sweets or treats from their neighbours.
Halloween is shrouded in superstition and mystery, but at the same time it has become an exciting and fun-filled holiday for children in many countries around the world.
Halloween is popularly known as the spookiest time of the year and is celebrated on October 31. The roots of this ancient holiday date back to the Celtics, who observed their new year on November 1. As the days grew shorter and nights became drawn out, the Celts believed that November 1 marked the end of summer, or the harvest season, and the start of the dark cold winter, which was considered an ominous season, mostly associated with human death.
The ancient people also believed that a night before the new year the boundaries between the natural and supernatural became blurred and they celebrated the return of ghosts to earth on that day, which they called Samhain. These spirits returning to earth were believed to destroy crops and help the Celtic priests, Druids, make predictions for the future of the Celts. Druids built large sacred bonfires to offer sacrifices of crops and animals to deities and the Celts donned costumes made of animal heads and skins and attempted to read each
others’ fortunes.
Over the years, Halloween came to America and people started dressing up as ghosts and going around the neighbourhood for the ‘trick and treat’ tradition. The tradition originally dates back to when rich people would give food to the poor, in return for their promise to pray for them. Now, it has become a famous custom where kids dress up their scariest and collect sweets or treats from their neighbours.
Halloween is shrouded in superstition and mystery, but at the same time it has become an exciting and fun-filled holiday for children in many countries around the world.
