Fun Fact 2: October 31st was the last day of the year in the ancient Celtic calendar; it was celebrated as a holiday and a night for witches!
Fun Fact 3: Irish Gaelic cultures celebrated a harvest festival between October 31 and November 1, the occasion was called Samhain; which means summers end. Samhain was a big festival to signify the end of the summer and harvesting season and the start of winter - the "darker half" of the year
Fun Fact 4: Bonfires were lit during the Samhain festival; they served as a thanksgiving to their Pagan God and were used in rituals to cleanse souls from evil powers
Fun Fact 5: The Romans celebrated the souls of the deceased and dead spirits during a festival called Feralia. The festival took place in the month of February; it lasted for nine days
Fun Fact 6: The name "Halloween" derived from the Christian festival "All Hallow-even", the night before All Hallows' Day (also called All Saints Day) which falls on 1st November
Fun Fact 7: All Hallows' Day (All Saints Day) was a Christian festival for remembering the dead, including saints (called hallows) and martyrs. Spirits were believed to roam during the festival so torches were lit to protect people against evil spirits
Fun Fact 8: Witches date back to ancient pagan times. Halloween is the night when the dead souls return to the cauldron to re-incarnate
Fun Fact 9: The origins of Halloween "Trick or Treat" date back to the early 9th century. Beggars would knock at houses for a type of biscuit called "soul cake"; in return for a "soul cake" a prayer would be given for the dead relations of the household
Fun Fact 10: Pagan festivals became integrated with Christian festivals and mixed traditions evolved, feasting on harvests, bonfires, torches and celebrating the dead all became part of Halloween traditions that we still celebrate today
Fun Fact 11: Jack-o'-lanterns originated in Pagan times. Children originally carved potatoes and turnips lanterns which would be used to scare off evil spirits. Today we traditionally carve pumpkins
Fun Fact 12: The name Jack-o'-lantern originated from English folklore. The name refers to the flame of the light which was also known as "will-o'-the-wisp" or "foolish fire"
Fun Fact 13: The colors orange and black are traditionally associated with Halloween these colours represent the connections to harvest (orange) and death (black)
Fun Fact 14: The tradition of dressing up originates from the belief that the spirits would roam on the night of Halloween, people were fearful that they would be recognised as non-sprits so dressed as the dead so they would remain safe
Fun Fact 15: Typical Halloween festive season celebrations and activities include; dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, trick-or-treating, playing tricks and games, apple bobbing, eating spooky themed food, watching scary films and visiting Halloween attractions |
