Besides Halloween parties, haunted corn mazes, and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (my personal favorite), Halloween was once different than the way we know it today. Here are some Halloween facts you may have never heard of before.
Halloween has Irish roots.
Halloween is said to have originated from a Celtic festival called "Samhain". According to the "Druid" religion, November 1st was the start of a new year. The Celts believed that on October 31st the spirits of those who died the previous year would rise and roam earth on this night. People would leave out food and candy on their doorstep to ward away evil spirits.
Jack-O-Lanterns did not begin as pumpkins.
In the beginning, the Irish used to carve turnips, not pumpkins. They believed that the candles placed inside of them would help ward off evil spirits. Potatoes were sometimes used also. When the Irish cam to America, they found that pumpkins were easier to carve, so they began using them to make Jack-O-Lanterns.
Jack-O-Lanterns got their name from an old Irish tale. This Irish tale involves a man named Stingy Jack. The tale states that one night Jack was out getting drunk with the devil, and convinced the devil to turn into a bag of coins to pay for the drinks. Jack then put one of the coins in his pocket with a silver cross that would prevent the devil from turning back. Jack promised the devil that he would let him free if the devil didn't bother him for a year. Somehow Jack ended up making a deal with the devil claiming that if Jack dies the devil can not take him to hell. So, when Jack died, God decided he wasn't fit for heaven, yet Jack couldn't go to hell. Instead, Jack was sent to roam earth with only burning coal for light. Jack placed his burning coal into a turnip to use as a lantern, therefore giving the name "Jack-O-Lantern". Because of this myth, the Irish began to carve scary faces into turnips, beets, and potatoes to try and scare away Stingy Jack.
Halloween colors orange and black have a meaning.
Since this holiday began as the "festival of harvest" for the Celtic people, the color orange is used as a color of autumn. However, since Halloween is also considered a festival for the dead, black is also used to symbolize this holiday.
Owls were once thought to be witches.
Most commonly owls are seen as wise and patient creatures, but in some parts of the world owls are seen as otherwise. In Africa, owls are considered to be associated with wizards and witchcraft. Others see owls as a messenger of wizards (J.K. Rowling knew what she was doing in the Harry Potter books), and they believe that owls gather witches to dance on the graves of the dead.
What Halloween facts interest you?
