Halloween Night vs. Prom Night

Halloween Night vs. Prom Night Ghosts, princesses, superheroes, and so many other strange characters are seen walking around during the night of October 31st, the night known as Halloween. Halloween is the night most famously known for haunted houses, candy, black cats, witches and ghosts. For one magical night a year, known as prom, teenagers get to feel and dress like princes and princesses and to attend their first formal event before becoming an adult. For that night, tiaras, limos, corsages, tuxedos and evening gowns are all the rage. Both nights are important nights when growing up, and even though they are so different, they actually have some things in common. Halloween night and prom are nights that have a similar, yet different, purpose, social meaning, and importance for younger generations. The origins of Halloween date back to the Celts who lived over 2000 years ago. November 1st was the day the Celts celebrated their new year and was the day that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts associated this time of year with human death and believed that on October 31st “…the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred” (History.com 1). Samhain was celebrated on the night of October 31st. It was believed the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth and would cause trouble and damage crops. On the night of October 31st, Celts wore costumes that were made of animal heads and skins. The Celts made huge bonfires that night, burned crops and made animal sacrifices. By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered Celtic territory and over the course of four hundred years the Roman combined their festivals with the Celtic festival of Samhain. Christianity had spread into Celtic lands by the 800s and November 1st was known as “All Saints Day” (History.com 1). The holiday would later be referred to as “…All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween” (History.com 1). The holiday continued to be celebrated and the

Cited: “Halloween”. History.com. 29 September 2010. . “The History of Prom”. History of water filters. Pretty for Prom. 29 September 2010. .