Halloween FAQs
Halloween: A word by any other name…
One fail swoop of the tongue and instead of “Halloween”, we may have had just the Celtic Festival of Samhain. The word “Samhain” is derived from the Old Irish language, and translates into “summer’s end”. It is after all, the harvesting time. Ancient Celtic people thought that during the Festival of Samhain, that the realm of the dead would allow spirits to enter into this world. The spirits could be both dangerous or harmless. One of the main reasons why trick-or-treaters today commonly wear scary masks and costumes is because the Celts believed that by wearing these masks and costumes, that they could scare the spirits away. So when your little mummies, goblins, witches and vampires go from door-to-door on All Hallow’s Eve, know that they’re just trying to scare the demons away!
No laughing matter!
Kids take their candy seriously! Ever wonder why kids say “trick or treat”? Back in the day, if kids did not get a treat (candy or money) from the homeowner, they would pull a trick on the homeowner, including monkey business on the homeowner or to the homeowner’s belongings.
Jack of the Lantern?
There is an old legend about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack”. Legend has it that Jack tricked the Devil at least three times into doing things he would not ordinarily do. When Jack finally died, the Devil would not allow Jack into Hell, and God would not permit him into Heaven for the trickery he had done on Earth. It is said that Devil instead gave Jack a fiery lump of coal that he placed inside a turnip (yes, turnips were the first jack-o-lanterns) to light his way in the darkness as he walked the Earth for eternity. Irish folklore began calling him “Jack of the Lantern”, which eventually was condensed to “Jack-o-Lantern” in modern times.
In-depth information on Halloween can be found here: Halloween
Graphics courtesy of Google Images and Clip Art
Source: Wikipedia
