When you were young and even now I am sure there was always a pleasure at this time of the year in carving pumpkins, but how did this become a tradition for Halloween?
Halloween, also known as All Souls Day, is a Pagan holiday that is celebrated before the Christian holiday, All Saints Day.
Halloween, first called "Samhain," is a tradition that occurred in Ireland in the 19th century, but they didn’t do what we did today. It was believed that spirits would come out on this day and attack the living. The Irish would walk around with carved turnips with faces that were lit to help ward off the evil spirits, according to the History Channel.
When many of Ireland’s people came to America during the Potato Famine, that is when we started to use these traditions.
The Irish found it easier to use gourds instead of turnips and that is how the first jack-o-lantern came to be. They would also wear masks in order to try and confuse the spirits when they went out at night.
As for trick-or-treating, no one quite knows how that became to be. Many believe it comes from a tradition homeless families would do on All-Hallows-Eve. Homeless families would go door-to-door to cast away evil spirits inside homes in exchange for food.
Many people have celebrated Halloween for most of their lives. The history behind Halloween is very different from what we have today. Today there are costumes you can buy, going out for candy and parties. Halloween though, is still a night to contact all of the spirits that have been left on this world. So carve a pumpkin, or maybe a spirit will get you in the dead of night.
(All information is according to the History Channel)
