Halloween Countdown
Something wicked this way comes. Count down the seconds until the spookiest night of the year!
Origins of the Spooky Season
Halloween is celebrated annually on October 31st. While today it is known for costumes and candy, its roots stretch back thousands of years.
- Samhain: Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Celts believed that on the night before the new year (which they celebrated on November 1st), the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.
- Jack-o'-Lanterns: The tradition of carving pumpkins comes from an Irish myth about a man named "Stingy Jack." Originally, people in Ireland and Scotland used turnips or potatoes; pumpkins became the standard when the tradition reached America!
- Trick-or-Treating: This practice likely evolved from the medieval custom of "souling," where poor people would visit the houses of wealthier families and receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners' dead relatives.
- Black and Orange: Orange represents the autumn harvest, while black symbolizes the "death" of summer and the transition into the dark half of the year.