Green Halloween

There are a few different ideas of where the holiday now known as Halloween came from, but most historians can trace it back to Celtic times. Originally, this scary holiday was known by the name of Samhain. The holiday was a festival where people would gather together to celebrate the dead and people believed that their ghosts would actually interact with those still living. At that time, the dead peoples’ souls were then finally set free to move on to the afterlife and everyone was happy to see the dead move forward.

At the Samhain festival, people would partake in eating fruit, candies, and drinking alcohol, and would burn large bonfires and sacrifice their animals. In time, Christians tried to change the mindset of the Celtic people. This helped to move the idea of Samhain to a new way of thinking, and it eventually became Halloween, otherwise known as All Hallows Eve. It was celebrated (and still is) on the night of October 31st, the night before the celebration of All Saint’s Day. People started to recognize the saints on this day and give them their respects instead of worrying about ghosts and dead people.

While Halloween has a storied history, it is still known as a day of celebrating the dead. People began to dress like spirits in order to lure the dead into town. They would wander the streets with small candles, wearing masks and going door to door to their neighbor’s homes, begging for food or trinkets. This is the origin of modern day trick or treating. Many European nations believed in fairies, ghosts, spirits, and demons, which is why these symbols are all still so popular during Halloween time today. The history of Halloween began as a sacred occasion honoring the spirits of those had passed on and today it remains a very important holiday.

Where would Green Halloween be if it wasn’t for good old Halloween!