Halloween is one event that has been celebrated by our ancestors, their ancestors, and then also their ancestors as well, maybe with the same pomp glory that we do it today. In fact, the history of Halloween stretches to well about 3000 years. This along with many other traditional wisdom associated with Halloween is what this article is all about. Such facts will come in handy for you to start a conversation with a party guest that you've been keen to meet with. Or, if its you who is hosting the party, you can make booklets adorned with Halloween icons, Gothic fonts or scary photos for your guest that will serve as simple party favors. So, lets explore the long and interesting history that makes up the Halloween of today.
The first to celebrate Halloween were the Celts sometime in 2900 B.C., though it was Samhain that the celebration was referred to as back then. Samhain used to be celebrated on the occasion of the new-year on October 21st to mark the end of their harvest season. Celts also believed that it was during Samhain each year that the dead came back to earth, often in the guise of animals, which added a touch of eeriness to the harvest season.
The Celts used to be pagans during this time and among the many customs they engaged in Samhain was to collect and exchange food, which they believed would please gods and help ward off evil spirits. With this in mind, they would dress in fiery costumes and scary masks. This they thought would be enough to scare off evil spirits, in much the same way gargoyles were put to use later on in churches. Bonfires too were a usual feature, which Celts believed would prevent evil spirits from gaining ground in their community. This way, costumes, masks, pumpkins and treats came to be associated with the history of Halloween right from the beginning.
It was the Christians who later transformed the Samhain of the pagans into a Christian celebration that we now know as Halloween, followed on the 1st of November by All Saint's Day. This was a clever ploy to divert the offerings to pagan gods and make it an all-Christian affair, a strategy that did yield success.
Gradually, several myths and legends came to be associated with Halloween, many of which can be considered to be a hangover of the pagan rituals and customs. Thus, the ghost stories around campfire that have become very much an integral part of the Halloween tradition.
However, though Halloween started off as a festival with adults engaged in merry-making, some unruly behavior on part of the adults marred the otherwise gala celebrations that this event should be all about during the early half of the 20th century. In fact, things had reached such severe proportions that it even threatened the very continuity of the event, until a few wise men came together and decided to keep things going. And to ensure it's clean and safe, it was turned into a kid's only event, with adults keeping away from trick or treating for about half a century since.
However, adults were back in the scene by the 1980s though most adults still refrain from doing trick or treating in view of the chilly reception that they face with. Nevertheless, they do attend adult Halloween parties with the host providing the treats and everyone get made up in fancy costumes in much the same way as Celts did centuries ago.
So, how about a Halloween party themed around the Celts? That it would bring in some very interesting costumes is without doubt!
Get more information about Halloween costumes and Halloween parties and try visiting Halloween costume ideas for groups, where you'll find this and a lot more tips and advice including Halloween costume ideas for kids.
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