Ok, let’s start with some education, people:

“Halloween or Hallowe’en (a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve, is a spooky celebration on October 31 – the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day.”

The “Americanised” version that’s been adopted by today’s world was actually originated by the Celtic Brits, later being adapted by some good old Christian traditions, the meshing of culture, and a healthy addiction to sugar.

But what’s the story behind the story? Thanks to The Telegraph:

“The origin of the festival is disputed, and there are both pagan and Christian practices that have evolved into what Halloween is like today.”

While…

“Some believe it originates from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, meaning ‘Summer’s End’ which celebrated the end of harvest season.”

So we know the Gaels saw it as a time to engage with spirits and allow them the opportunity to come back to life just for one day. They’d even set places at the dinner table and welcome their ghostly guests. Now that’s just… spooky.

What about the costumes?

The dress-up vibe dates back to the 16th century in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They’ve always been a passionate bunch, moving from door-to-door and asking for food in exchange for their song or poem in costume. The costumes would often mimic the “souls of the dead.”

Yup, they believed that impersonating evil spirits would keep them away.

And the sweets? Tell us about the sweets?

“Trick-or-treating” actually started in the 11th century, where a tradition called “souling” had kids praying for the souls of friends and relatives, also moving from door-to-door. For this gesture, they’d get what was called a “soul cake,” gobbled up immediately to free a soul from purgatory.

One of York University’s historians, Nicholas Rogers, says that:

When people prayed for the dead at Hallow Mass, they dressed up. When praying for fertile marriages, ‘the boy choristers in the churches dressed up as virgins. So there was a certain degree of cross dressing in the actual ceremony of All Hallow’s Eve.

It was only in the 1970s that costumes became more sexualised, and to this day, some female celebs like Heidi Klum make sure to look the least bit scary on the day:

Why the pumpkin? Well…

“The carving of pumpkins originates from the Samhain festival, when Gaels would carve turnips to ward off spirits and stop fairies from settling in houses.”

Here‘s some cool ideas for next year, even though we find it a tad lame that South Africans have embraced a tradition that is one hundred percent and wholeheartedly NOT ours.

We dig what Google did, and used Halloween to show that we all actually just want “a place to belong”. Check out their video of Jinx below, and remember, be yourself, yo!

[source:thetelegraph]