Everyone probably knows that Halloween is always on October 31st or that kids go trick or treating on this day. However, something I doubt everyone knows is the history and traditions that are celebrated on this day.
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France, celebrated their new years on November 1st. They believed that on the night before New Years, the two worlds, the living and the dead, mixed. Therefore, it was believed that on October 31, the ghost of the dead returned to earth.
Trick or Treating dates back to the Souls’ Day Parade in England. During the festivities, poor people would beg for food, and people would give them pastries, called soul cakes, in return that they will promise to pray for their deceased relatives. Soon, children picked up this tradition, going to houses on Halloween and receiving candy and food. Another tradition that started a long time ago was dressing up in costumes on Halloween. Hundreds of years ago, food supplies always ran low during the winter time. During Halloween, they were worried that they would come across ghosts if they left their house, so they wore masks to prevent the ghosts from recognizing them.
Many people do different traditions for Halloween. Some people go trick or treating, and some people decorate their house and give people candy as they walk by their houses. At Broad Run High School, there are a variety of traditions that students do. Junior Margaret Maranto said, “My mom goes a little crazy with the decorations. She puts styrofoam tombstones in our yard and puts a rubber rat on our front porch.” Ella Sreniawski remarked “I am going to dress up as a flower this year. Last year, it was kind of out of the blue. I was beetle juice, but I have dressed up as a goddess, a fairy, a princess, and a minion before.”
Halloween’s history and traditions have evolved over time, and it is important to know those. It gives us an insight of how Halloween was like a long time ago and how it can change in the future.
