Celebrated in many countries on October 31st, Halloween is without a shadow of a doubt, the spookiest event of the year.
The annual supernatural celebration traditionally involves dressing up in outlandish costumes, and asking strangers if they want a trick or a treat.
The origins of Halloween date back around 6000 years. Over 2000 years ago, the Celtic pagan religious festival of Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-win’) was first held in honour of the harvest and the ‘dark half of the year’. During this ancient spiritual tradition – celebrated between October 31st and November 1st – the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest.
Dress To Impress In A Spooky Costume
For many people, dressing up in spooky costumes is the best part of Halloween. The ancient Celts believed that by dressing up to look like demons they could scare off the evil spirits that crossed over into the physical world during Samhain. This idea was inspired by earlier French and German tribes that wore costumes made from the heads and skins of animals, during ceremonies to connect with the spirits of the dead.
Decorate With Orange And Black
The instantly recognisable Halloween colours of orange and black reflect the season of autumn, and the connection to the dark side.
Carve Up A Jack-O-Lantern
We love to pick out a prime plump pumpkin to carve into a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween. This strange custom originates from a tale of Celtic lore about an old man known as Stingy Jack. One day he made a bet and tricked the Devil, and was forever denied entrance to Heaven or Hell.
Condemned to wander the Earth for the rest of his days, Jack made a lantern out of a turnip, and put a piece of coal inside to light it. He uses his lantern to wickedly lead other people astray from their paths. To keep Jack away, people carve scary faces into a pumpkin to place outside their home.
If you’re growing your own pumpkin for carving, you may want to compare your growth results with a man named Ron Wallace. In 2006 he grew a pumpkin that weighed a mighty 1,502lbs. Not surprisingly, it holds the current World Record for the largest pumpkin ever grown.
The fastest pumpkin carving record in the world is 16.47 seconds, and is held by Stephen Clarke.
Trick Or Treat?
Trick or treating is inspired by an ancient European custom that involved dressing up and going door-to-door to perform choreographed dances and plays in exchange for food. As many of the early trick-or-treaters were poor people, it was considered to be door-to-door begging, and was banned in the 1930s.
The people of Scotland and Ireland continued the tradition. Children would dress up to go ‘guising’, and would perform a song or dance ‘trick’ for fruit or coins. If they went ‘souling’ on All Saint’s Day (November 2nd) they got to eat tasty pastry treats.
Halloween ‘tricks’ originated in the 1920s in North America. Young people who enjoyed having a laugh and playing pranks modified the ‘guising’ and ‘souling’ customs of the Scottish and Irish immigrants.
The Top Halloween Treat
If you want to avoid being on the receiving end of a ‘trick’ when trick-or-treaters come calling, you’d be wise to fill up your goodies basket with chocolate. It’s reported that 50% of children prefer chocolate to other types of sweets and treats at Halloween.
Watch Out For The Black Cat!
In medieval times, black cats were known as the familiars (supernatural pet) of witches, and were often associated with superstition and bad luck. Because they were linked to sorcery and witchcraft, it was a common practice to burn black cats to protect against the threat of fire. Today, in the UK and Japan, a black cat is widely accepted as a sign of good fortune and luck.
The Witchy Stuff
At one time, Wiccan witches were viewed as wise women and were highly respected. One of the strangest Halloween customs involves putting your clothes on inside out and walking backwards on Halloween night. If you do that at midnight, some people believe you’ll get to see a real witch.
While you’re searching for witches, look out for this Halloween’s ‘blue full moon’. It’s rare to see a full moon on this day of the year. The last full moon on Halloween was in 2001.
Halloween: Not For The Faint-Hearted
Not everyone gets excited about dressing up in scary costumes and having frightful fun with family and friends at Halloween. If you have samhainophobia, your pathological fear of Halloween may make you want to turn out the lights and pretend you’re not at home when trick-or-treaters come a-calling.
Our dedicated psychics are available for professional readings this Halloween!