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History of Halloween
Learn the history of our favorite festival of the year "Halloween". The history of halloween goes back to more than 2,000 years ago, and it is not Satan's birthday as many people say. Halloween is an anual celebration when people dress up many costumes and kids go trick or treating. Many people organize a halloween party to celebrate and enjoy the fun of this popular celebration.
The history of Halloween has it's origin back in the 5th century B.C. (aproximately) in Celtic, Ireland. They used to celebrate the end of summer October 31st which was a holiday called Samhain, the start of the new Celtic year.
The Celtic people believed that Samhain was a time when spirits and ghosts where allowed to wanderas they wished, other stories tell that these spirits were let free to look for bodies to possess. Here is where the tradition of dressing up like goblins and witches began. People afraid of getting possessed by the dead ones they tried to frighten them away by paiting thier faces in black colors and dress like ghosts. They also made their homes look like cold and ugly place, very unattractive for the spirits and leave.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought was originated with the European custom called souling. Others say that trick-or-treating began with the same Celtic culture when they searched for virgen princesses on halloween and offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord of the Death. If they had what they wanted they left the people alone but if the person refused to give them what they asked for they would trick them.
The Jack-o-lantern custom comes from Irish culture. As tale is told, a man named Jack, who was a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways. He was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness.
