Mrs. DeBlock’s Blog

My husband and I put up our “Halloween / Fall decorations” this weekend, as did many of our neighbors on the street. As I was decorating it made me think… where did the tradition or holiday that some celebrate known as “Halloween” come from?

After doing a little research I found out that the night we now know as Halloween is derived from a day that was once celebrated as “All Hallows Eve” or a religious celebration of Saints. After continuing my research I also found out that “Halloween” to those who were very superstitious, was also a night that was believed to be a time when demons and foul spirits roamed the world to celebrate the return of the cold and dark. Men were tormented by the evil spirits and tried to buy their freedom by offering food and assorted treats. This was thus marked by terrible noises, tricks, and pranks. Most of the common images of Halloween – the jack-o’-lantern, masked figures, bonfires, and the famous cry “trick-or-treat” all originated from these customs. The jack-o’-lantern is traced back to Central Europe as a symbol of the cemetery caretakers and the lamps they carried to light the way.

Interesting…

Now knowing a little about the ‘History of Halloween’ what do you plan on dressing up as this year?

This entry was posted on October 5, 2008 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.