Halloween is coming and it's the time when everyone starts to get together, eat way more candy than they should, and play dress up. Like most holidays, there's a story behind it, but no one ever talks about the history of Halloween, why it started, or why we celebrate it the way we do. With that being said, here are some facts about Halloween that I bet you didn't know.
1. Halloween started almost 2,000 years ago.
It was at an ancient festival to celebrate the Samhin and the end of the harvest when the Celtics were still around.
2. It originated in present day Ireland, United Kingdom, and Northern France by the Celtics.
The Celtics lived in these areas before the Roman Empire had taken over.
3. October 31st was their New Year's eve.
This was also the end of their harvest season, and they needed to brace themselves for winter.
4. It was also their last day of summer.
This meant winter was coming, and they were going to have to start preparing for the long, cold, and dark winters.
5. The Celts believed the lines between living and dead were blurred thus causing the dead's spirit to come to earth again.
The Celtics relied heavily on the natural world, and thought the spirits of the dead were the ones killing their crops.
6. The Celts also believed their priests could make more accurate predictions about the future due to ghosts being present.
They used the predictions to prepare them for the long, dark, and cold winters, so they were very important to them.
7. To celebrate the end of the year, they used to have huge bonfires where they wore costumes and masks.
The Celts burned their crops and animals for a sacred bonfire, and used the fire as a way to prepare them for the cold, long winters they were about to endure. They often wore animal skins and skins during this celebration.
8. When Halloween came to the states, it was most common in Maryland and other southern colonies.
New England was mostly Protestant thus making it not a very popular holiday. The southern colonies, however, were not as religious and celebrated it much more heavily.
9. The Irish popularized Halloween to the rest of the nation after the Irish Potato Famine.
Millions of Irish immigrants came to America to escape the Potato Famine. Halloween was very popular in Ireland, and when they came to America, they brought their beliefs and celebrations with them.
10. The late 1800's is when Halloween became more of a community event instead of a celebratory one.
People weren't celebrating their loved ones coming back to Earth, nor were they celebrating the end of Summer. Trick-or-treating started happening because it was a chance for the entire community to get involved in a rather inexpensive way.
11. Today, Halloween is the country's second largest commercial holiday.
The first is Christmas, but about $6 billion is spent on Halloween annually. Halloween also makes up for 1/4 of the amount of candy sold.
12. The presence of ghosts was encouraged, and now they're "scary" and "bad."
Ghosts were celebrated and welcomed in ancient times. People wanted to be reconnected with their loved ones, and today they're "scary" and often times should be avoided.
13. Black cats are avoided due to people believing witches turned themselves into black cats.
This belief started in Middle Ages. Witches, or those who were believed to be witches, were hung, and to avoid being detected, they "turned" themselves into black cats. Black cats were also associated with bad luck.