During spooky season we all love dressing up and watching horror movies. But where do these traditions come from?
- Inspiration
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It is believed that Halloween has roots in Samhain, a Celtic festival that was celebrated at the end of summer. They believed that during this time the line between the living and dead was thinned, and it was easier to communicate with the dead. People would make offerings to spirits in hopes of getting on their good sides.
- Costumes
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Arguably the best part of Halloween is dressing up in different costumes. In earlier times, however, people dressed up to scare spirits away from them. People thought that if they looked like spirits, the real spirits would leave them alone.
- Black Cats
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Black cats used to be linked to witches, which is why they are said to bring bad luck. They aren’t directly related to Halloween, but are still spooky!
- Bats
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Bats are commonly associated with Halloween. We can decorate our house with paper bats, and in almost all Halloween movies, you will find some scenes with bats in them. But why? It also goes back to the Celtic tradition of Samhain. When the Celts would light fires to celebrate Samhain, the light would attract certain animals, including bats. In later times, folklore was developed around bats, relating them to bad fortune. For example, it is said that if a bat lands in a house, a man from that house will die. If it flies in the house, a woman from the family will die. Freaky!
- Trick or treat
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Again, the idea of leaving items on your porch goes back to the Celtic traditions. Ancient peoples would place food on their porches to keep away evil spirits. It wasn’t until the 1950s in the US when leaving candy became popularized!
The traditions we have now are similar to the ones that people have had for centuries! Luckily, now it is less about warding off evil spirits, and more about having fun dressing up in a cool costume.