As you stock up on candy corns, pick out the scariest costume for the kiddies, and decorate the front lawn with tombstones and pumpkin heads , have you ever stopped to think about some of the traditions and facts behind the glorious holiday that always takes place on October 31st? In this article, prepare for a collection of trivia that you may or may not have already heard before. I guarantee you’ll learn at least one new thing.
1) When tracing the roots of Halloween, you will find that the Celtic culture in Ireland is behind this intriguing and fun celebration. In accordance with their “Druid” belief system, the New Year was observed on the 1st of November. The actual celebration would start on October 31st and last throughout the next day. It was believed that all the spirits that passed away during the year before would have a chance to rise from the dead and their spirit would wander about the earth for one night.
2) Some of you have heard of Lord Samhain in relation to Halloween. So, who is he? It is said that during this ‘evil’ night, spirits enjoyed roaming about the streets and village, and that the Lord of Darkness (better known as Samhain) would come for the spirits in order to deliver them to the Underworld.
3) Another way of mentioning Halloween is to call it “All Hollow’s Eve,” which originated from a pagan holiday that honored the deceased. As the story goes, the Roman Catholic Church established All Saints Day, which was observed on November 1st. This day (as the name suggests) was set aside to pay homage to saints. November 2nd was reserved for All Souls Day, where people would honor and pray for the souls of those who had lost their lives. These two observances was the church’s attempt to draw attention away from pagan holidays. Unfortunately for them, their plan did not work. Halloween (with its ancient Druid connection) was able to survive throughout history.
4) The amount of money spent to celebrate Halloween is beaten only by the Christmas season. Did you know that consumers are estimated to shell out more than $2.5 billion dollars on party items, decorations, costumes, and of course, candy , all during the Halloween holiday.
5) When the Romans bested the English in past battles, they embraced Samhain as one of their own festivals, which celebrated the harvest. It was called Poloma at the time and when they celebrated their dead, it was called Feralia.
6) Why are the colors of black and orange typically associated with the holiday of Halloween? It is thought that orange represents the harvests, which Halloween actually marks the endpoint of the harvest. As for black, it is the color that is most associated with death.
7) The black cat has become an important symbol of Halloween because they have been connected with the viewpoint that they could protect the powers of a witch from negative forces , a past belief.