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The Celebrations Begin!!!! (scroll through photos)
Holiday Frights Around the World!
Otto Litchfield
Halloween is one of everyone’s favorite holidays, but do you know what other traditions people celebrate around the world that connect with the haunted spirit world?
The ancient Celts in Scotland celebrated a holiday that they called Samhain (sow-win), a holiday all about spirits and fire. Some people still celebrate it today with different ways of doing it…people used to celebrate it with a bonfire and leave the hearth burning while the harvest began. They would sacrifice cattle, put on costumes so as not to be kidnapped by spirits, and carry a torch back to the hearth to relight it. Normally it would be celebrated on Oct. 31st-Nov. 1st. Crime during Samhain was met with execution.
Then in Japan some people celebrate Obon/Bon, a holiday that is a fusion of spiritual Japanese belief and Japanese Buddhist custom. People who celebrate will clean their ancestor’s graves. They even dance a traditional dance called Bon Odori. In Tokyo the holiday is celebrated on July 15th of the Gregorian calendar while in most other places it's celebrated on August 15th of the Gregorian calendar.
Another holiday would be The Hungry Ghost Festival. It is celebrated in China on the 15th night of the 7th month. It’s when hungry/angry ghosts return so people burn paper offerings and make performances. They’ll have auctions, puppet shows, and lion dance.
The last holiday is a pretty well known one, Dia de los Muertos or The Day of the Dead. People celebrate with parades and by decorating Ofrendas for souls that have come back to feast, drink, and dance with their loved ones. They also celebrate with sugar skulls and bright marigold flowers. It is celebrated in Mexico on Nov. 1st-2nd. To conclude, here are some fun holidays that people celebrate around the world and they’re all about how spirits come back to haunt us.
Only time will tell...
Claire Denkers
As a child you were most likely taught not to take candy from strangers, but October 31st was the only exception. Every year we go door to door dressed up in a costume saying “trick - or - treat!” to our neighbors and in exchange, we are given candy that we collect in pillowcases and pumpkin buckets. Have you ever wondered why we even do this? What’s the point and how did it start?
The idea of trick or treating has evolved over time, but the door to door with candy that we do today has only been around since about the 1920’s. The first form of it started with early Americans going to others’ houses asking for food and money. The tradition continued and now we have trick-or-treating!
Now we understand the treat, but what's the trick? Well, years and years ago, young women believed that they could predict the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors. This may be why we bob for apples in the fall and mirrors at night seem extra creepy.
Halloween is on October 31st every year, but why? What's so special about that day? It's said that long ago on November 1st, the barrier between the dead and living would be weakened and supernatural episodes would happen so people would stay up late on the 31st and wait for it to happen.
We all know and love the idea of Halloween, but how well do we really know this beloved holiday? Let’s do some fun Halloween trivia! Click here for trivia!
Walking the line between the living and the dead
The Haunted History of Halloween
by Olivia Taylor
Ghosts have arrived, parties have begun- oh, how much fun! Want to hear more about the history of our beloved holiday, Halloween? Here are some facts and interesting myths about All Hallows' Eve.
It all started over 3,000 years ago with the Celtic festival of Samhain on November 1st. The Celts believed that on October 31, the living and the dead became blurred and the ghosts arrived here on earth. Celts thought that these returning spirits could help people predict their futures. During the Celtic festival, they would sit around a bonfire, burning crops and animals for sacrifice. They would use animal skin and fur to create costumes and masks, which is how the tradition of costumes came to be. Halloween is often associated with death because of the idea that ghosts and spirits returned.
Halloween migrated to the United States through meshed ideas of European ethnic groups and Native Americans when they came to the United States. Over the years, we have slowly morphed the traditions of Halloween. Some fun facts about Halloween are that people used to carve turnips and not pumpkins, that black cats are actually good luck, that black cats used to help witches, and that Halloween marks the change from autumn to wintertime.
Halloween has a spooky past that still haunts the 31st of October today, so be prepared when dusk arrives on All Hallows' Eve. From ancient Celtic bonfires to modern pumpkin carvings, Halloween has evolved into a frightening and beloved night.
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