THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT HALLOWEEN!

What is the first thing that strikes your mind when you think of Halloween? You’ll probably think of trick or treat, parades, bobbing for apples and other family friendly activities. But I bet you didn’t know the true story behind the ancient origins of Halloween. It all started 2000 years ago where an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain was celebrated on November 1st. It was believed that the dead would return as ghosts a night before Halloween. People would leave food and wine on the doorsteps to keep away from roaming spirits and wear masks when they left their homes so they would be mistaken as ghosts themselves. In the 8th century, the Christian Church renamed Samhain as saints day or all Hallows day. The night before it came to be known as all Hallows eve later shortened to Halloween.

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Even the tradition of celebrating souling and guising originated in medieval Britain. November 2nd celebrated as All Souls Day where the needy begged for pastries called “soul cakes” and in return pray for their dead relatives which was called “souling.” A typical tradition in medieval Britain where people would dress up in costumes and accept food, wine, money, and other offerings in exchange for singing, reciting poetry or telling a story. It then came to be known as trick or treating when the American, Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 19th century started reviving these old traditions. At first, it was much more about trick and treats until the 1950’s when the tradition became more of a family, friends and kids-centric.

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Today, Halloween is one of the biggest business with the US consumers spending more than 2.5 billion on costumes annually. If you add the candy then it’s estimated spend is around 6 billion each year making it the second most commercial holiday after Christmas.

So whether you are a fan of trick, treats or trivia there’s a bit of Halloween history that you didn’t know, but now you know it all!

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