“Trick or Treat!” a random person yells as you come to the door with a bowl of candy. Why do we even celebrate this holiday? You may not think it is important, (Ok, so kids ADORE Halloween, but parents may be able to do without). But is it really meant to be a spooky day with candy?
No, it’s not. This holiday actually originated in England, Scotland, and Northern France. Celtic cultures celebrated a celebration called Samhain (sah-ween). Samhain was celebrated in order to tell the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that the Spirits of the dead could return to life during this celebration.
In Celtic cultures, they believed the priests, or druids, could predict the future. During this celebration, they sat around a bonfire. While they sat around the bonfire and listened to what the druids had to say, they wore animal skins. Celts threw animal skins and crops into the fire to sacrifice to the spirits.
A.D. Romans were the next people to influence celebrations dedicated to the dead. Many people believe it is possible that Romans are the reason apples are bobbed and handed out for Halloween.
By 800 A.D. Christianity was in Celtic territories. Christians started All Saints Eve. In the 1800s, English and Irish immigrant came to America, bringing All Saints Eve with them. All Saints Eve was later named All Hallows Eve, which was later shortened to Halloween.
In France, a disease called Black Death wiped out half the population. The French celebrated All Saints in order to celebrate mortality.
Modern Halloween is celebrated in America, Ireland, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand. But even so, Trick or Treating didn't become popular until the 1930s. Nowadays, Americans spend over 5 billion dollars for Halloween.
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