Halloween

Well that time of year has come again where we can let ourselves be a little more spooky, dress up as almost anything from a vampire (no sparkles please) to a zombie to a witch and not even get any funny looks as you walk down the street.

It’s Halloween time of course and if you’re like me, a confirmed Halloween junkie, then this is your time of year.

The holiday is frequently thought to have originated from the Celtic holiday called Samhain, which was a festival to celebrate the harvest that takes place during the Fall season. The day would eventually be transformed by a variety of changes, such as the name Halloween itself which was at one time referred to as All Hallows Eve, the night before a celebration of saints.

Ultimately however Halloween brings the end of the warmth and light of the Spring and Summer seasons (obviously the ancient Celts, had never visited the Gulf Coast, which is still quite warm at this time of year) and begins the darker half of the year as the ancient peoples geared up for the hardships of the Winter ahead.

As for it’s more ghostly trappings, Samhain was, like the festival held on the first day of May called Beltane, a time when the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead were thought to be at their thinnest.

Disguising your identity by dressing up in a costume was thought to be one way not to draw the attention of the more evil of the wandering spirits.

While the exact origins of the custom of Trick or Treating are unclear, it was in some form or fashion a way of gathering food and treats from neighboring houses, be it to feed the village during a feast cooked on the Samhain bonfires, or to appease the spirits let loose on Earth for the night.

Jack-O-Lanterns were also designed to protect one from evil spirits, but when the Irish made them, they made them from turnips, not pumpkins.

Want some more interesting facts about Halloween?

• Despite a morbid tone and roots in Pagan custom, Halloween is actually the second highest grossing holiday, bested only by Christmas.

• If you find yourself cowering in a closet or hiding under the bed until the first day of November arrives, you are not alone. The condition is an actual named phobia and it is called Samhainophobia.

• Curious about your future husband, ladies? Halloween legend states you can either hang a wet sheet in front of a fire or stare into a mirror at Midnight on Halloween to see your future partner.

• In one form or another, Halloween celebrations are over six-thousand years old.

• Halloween candy sales are estimated as one quarter of all candy sold in a given year, with almost two-billion dollars of the sweet treats being sold.

• Want to throw a ‘killer’ party? Halloween is the third largest party day of the year behind New Year’s Eve and Superbowl Sunday.

Although Halloween has it roots in a varied mixture of customs and traditions from festivals and Christian holidays, it has certainly become a holiday that haunted its way into the hearts of the American people.

So, there you have your interesting Halloween facts, I hope you, wait, I never heard you say Trick or Treat…