Informative Essay On Halloween
Halloween is the second most celebrated holiday in America, Christmas being the first. We as a country spend over 2.5 billion dollars annually on costumes, decorations and candy. Around the world, Halloween has evolved into a trick-or-treating tradition celebrated by many.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain. The Celtic people lived about 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, Northern France, and the United Kingdom. According to the Irish English Dictionary, Samhain was a celebration of the dead. The Celts celebrated this day from sundown on October 31st through November 1st, which marked the beginning of a new year on the Celtic calendar. To the Celtic people, Samhain was the most significant holiday out of the whole year. This was because on October 31st they believed dead was able to roam the earth. The spirits were thought to be evil and cause trouble, like damaging crops. To appease the evil spirits, the Celts would build sacred bonfires, where they gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices. After the Romans took over Celtic land, Pope Gregory III attempted to turn Samhain into a more church-sanctioned holiday. So, he designated November 1st All Saints Day and incorporated some …show more content…
of the traditions with Samhain. Over time Halloween evolved into something that is celebrated worldwide.
Trick-or-Treating is said to have been around since Medieval times.
Back then, the term “trick-or-treating” was called “guising”. Children and sometimes even poor adults would go around dressed in costumes and accept offerings from various households. Sometimes they would sing songs, recite a poem, tell a joke, or do some sort of “trick” to get a treat. Trick-or-Treating was brought into America by the Scottish and Irish immigrants but didn’t become popular until 1927. The earliest known reference to trick-or-treating was printed in the edition of Blackie, Alberta Canada Herald. Trick-or-Treating was put on hold when the war broke out because of sugar rationing, but after the war was over trick-or-treating was more popular than
ever!
The United States celebrates Halloween by dressing in scary costumes, throwing parties, decorating, and going to haunted houses. However, other countries celebrate it quite differently. For example, in Mexico, they have a three-day celebration called “Dia De Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead”. The celebration begins of the eve of October 31. The Mexican people honor the dead because they believe that on Halloween, their passed loved ones returned home. Many families would construct and decorate an alter with flowers, photographs, and freshwater. In Germany, Halloween is celebrated as All Saints Day. Germans spend this day attending church, honoring the saints who died, and remembering dead family members. In conclusion, Halloween has come a long way from where it began. It started out as a somber Pagan ritual and evolved into a fun, festive holiday celebrated by countries all around the world!
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain. The Celtic people lived about 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, Northern France, and the United Kingdom. According to the Irish English Dictionary, Samhain was a celebration of the dead. The Celts celebrated this day from sundown on October 31st through November 1st, which marked the beginning of a new year on the Celtic calendar. To the Celtic people, Samhain was the most significant holiday out of the whole year. This was because on October 31st they believed dead was able to roam the earth. The spirits were thought to be evil and cause trouble, like damaging crops. To appease the evil spirits, the Celts would build sacred bonfires, where they gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices. After the Romans took over Celtic land, Pope Gregory III attempted to turn Samhain into a more church-sanctioned holiday. So, he designated November 1st All Saints Day and incorporated some …show more content…
of the traditions with Samhain. Over time Halloween evolved into something that is celebrated worldwide.
Trick-or-Treating is said to have been around since Medieval times.
Back then, the term “trick-or-treating” was called “guising”. Children and sometimes even poor adults would go around dressed in costumes and accept offerings from various households. Sometimes they would sing songs, recite a poem, tell a joke, or do some sort of “trick” to get a treat. Trick-or-Treating was brought into America by the Scottish and Irish immigrants but didn’t become popular until 1927. The earliest known reference to trick-or-treating was printed in the edition of Blackie, Alberta Canada Herald. Trick-or-Treating was put on hold when the war broke out because of sugar rationing, but after the war was over trick-or-treating was more popular than
ever!
The United States celebrates Halloween by dressing in scary costumes, throwing parties, decorating, and going to haunted houses. However, other countries celebrate it quite differently. For example, in Mexico, they have a three-day celebration called “Dia De Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead”. The celebration begins of the eve of October 31. The Mexican people honor the dead because they believe that on Halloween, their passed loved ones returned home. Many families would construct and decorate an alter with flowers, photographs, and freshwater. In Germany, Halloween is celebrated as All Saints Day. Germans spend this day attending church, honoring the saints who died, and remembering dead family members. In conclusion, Halloween has come a long way from where it began. It started out as a somber Pagan ritual and evolved into a fun, festive holiday celebrated by countries all around the world!