The history of Halloween

By: Dorian Jenkins

 

Halloween is a very popular international holiday. It occurs every year on October 31 and is a very fun event for both children and adults. The holiday evolves from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, but has become less about ghosts and ghouls and more about candy and costumes. The Celts used this day to mark the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter, and they also believed that this transition between the seasons was a bridge to the world of the dead. Over the years, the holiday has transitioned into a day of costumes, parades, and sweet treats for children and adults. Seckman High School sophomore, Ashlee Taylor, says, “I love seeing all of the kids dress up on Halloween and go around trick-or-treating in my neighborhood!”

While Halloween may seem like it’s all about the candy and costumes, many of the things you do around Halloween time have reasons you don’t think about, such as carving a jack-o’-lantern. The name “jack-o’-lantern” comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. This originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an important part of Halloween festivities. Seckman High School senior, Dillon Jenkins, says, “Every year on Halloween my family plans a trip to go the pumpkin patch and pick out pumpkins. Then, later that night we carve them into jack-o’-lanterns.”

Another superstition of Halloween revolves around black cats. Black cats are thought to show that a witch will be involved in your life. Crossing paths with a black cat is a sign that there could be a witch nearby. If you hurt a black cat on Halloween, you will have seven years of bad luck, and if a black cat meows on your porch or a nearby window, this means a death in the family will occur. Another superstition on Halloween is a witch. The superstition is that if you put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night, you will encounter a witch. Seckman High School junior, Erica Lutker, says, “I have always believed in the superstition that if a candle is lit as a part of a ceremony and it goes out, that it is a sign of evil spirits nearby.”

Some interesting facts about Halloween are that you can get your pumpkin in blue or green, as well as the traditional orange pumpkin. Also, chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters, with Snickers as number one. While many people have their own Halloween traditions and superstitions that haunt them every year, Halloween is a fun time, while also being a time of the dead. Many people all do the same thing on Halloween, which is dress up and go trick-or-treating, visit haunted houses, or just having a bonfire and handing out candy. No matter what, families have a great time on this holiday every year.