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Halloween; A History Of
It was once believed that on Halloween “All Hallows Eve” the boundaries between the living and the dead would melt away giving the dead one day to possess a living human for one year. This was said to be the only way the dead could reach the afterlife.
Seeing as none of the living would want to be possessed, they would dress up in ghoul, ghost and witch costumes to frighten away the spirits (these still remain the most popular Halloween costumes). Some people would even leave food out on their doorstep to keep the hungry spirits from coming in to their homes; others would extinguish the fires in their homes, making it so cold the ghosts would not want to take up residence.
Another tradition that still remains; pumpkin carving. It too has changed over time. People use to carve faces into turnip or rutabaga, in yet another atempt to scare off ghosts. They believed that the most powerful part of a human body was it’s head and that it contained the human spirit, and for this reason, they believed the ghosts would not approach.
When pumpkin carving came to North America, pumpkins were much more readily available than any vegetable used previously; they were also much larger, making it easier to carve.
These traditions have lasted throughout centuries, their original motives may no longer be there, but what we now have is the most popular holiday in North America, a day to be anyone you want, to dress up and have fun.
“GRRR ARRRGHHH“
