Halloween is one of the most enjoyable and funniest events celebrated yearly. It is enjoyed by both children and grown-ups. Aside from the joy and thrill it gives, it also serves as a way of remembering your lost loved ones. However, most people only know how to celebrate Halloween parties without knowing its history. Is it more enjoyable to get in the party if you know why you celebrate? Isn’t it good to understand the history behind this occasion?

How and Why Halloween Started?

This well-known tradition began in modern Northern France, United Kingdom and Ireland. For these three countries, November 1 is their New Year since the summer harvest period was concluded. This date also marks the beginning of dark wintertime which was directly associated with death. According to Celts, the night before New Year is the separation of the living world and the dead.

Through the Lord of Death, known as Samhain, these ghosts would return to Earth. This phenomenon can cause damage or trouble. The Celtic priests made prophecies that provided comfort to the people and let them forget the bad signs of the dark winter. The costume-wearing tradition began at this point. Many people are afraid that these ghosts will return. For them, wearing costumes like animal heads, masks and scary creatures is the best way to drive away bad spirits. People believe that wearing disguises or pretending to be dead can dispel bad luck.

How Did the Modern Tradition Arise?

The tradition of Celts and its Samhain and Feralia were combined after the Roman's conquered the area. While the Romans spread Christianity, they declared November 1 as the "All Saints' Day". This date was then used to give tribute or honor to all saints and martyrs, instead of the dark winter time. Right after that year, Catholic Church declared November 2 as "All Souls' Day", wherein people commemorate their dead loved ones.

Aside from the well-known costume-wearing, the "trick-or-treat" tradition was also born. It was usually done by beggars every All Souls' Day. Then by 20th century, the Halloween tradition became more popular and trick or treats were done by kids.

Why Monsters, Spooks and Ghouls Became Part of Halloween?

Since Halloween started with wearing of scary costumes, people created series of monsters, ghouls and spooks to make the occasion more eerie. This had produced several tales about vampires, witches and werewolves which made the Halloween scarier.

Creatures like werewolves was shown on various movies in 20th century. However, this tale came from thousand years ago when folklores of man turning into wolves circulated. According to stories, man changes into wolf during full moon and they ate animals, people and corpses. The concepts of witches are from ancient Greeks and Romans. It began during the propagation of Christianity. Witches are known as devil worshippers.

Modern monsters such as vampires came from the novel of Bram Stoker entitled "Dracula." This character is used during Halloween since people associate it with death, ghosts and evil. Now that you know how Halloween started, you have more ideas on how to make your party even more thrilling. GP