10 Spooky Facts About Halloween
So, what is the REAL meaning of Halloween? The word Halloween dates to the medieval days and is derived from the words, “Holy” and “Saint.” Halloween is also celebrated on October 31st and dates back hundreds of years ago to a pagan festival called Samhain, which was known as “All Saints’ Day” or “All Hallows Day” and is celebrated on November 1st. The day before Halloween, October 30th, is when a large mass was held and was called “All Hallows Eve.” The three words were shortened to Halloween. Years ago, saints dressed up in costumes and went door-to-door, which is where Halloween costumes originated from and trick-or-treat. On October 31st, people celebrate by having parties, candy, and watching spooky movies.
Halloween is a popular holiday celebrated, and besides all the festivities, it has spooky facts. I have 10 of them, which I will list below:
1. Witches. It is believed that witches make sacrifices on this day. As bizarre as this sounds, it is true, although I have never spotted a witch on this day and they are not dressed as we have pretended but are normal people. On October 31st, it is believed that prayers are said for the dead, thus getting its name Halloween or “haunted.”
2. Jack-o-lanterns. The Celts celebrated Halloween in costumes to disguise ghosts and hollowed out gourds, which is where the word jack-o-lantern comes from. People carved out pumpkins with scary faces on them and placed a lantern in them as well. Those pumpkins sat on the porches of people to stand for the jack-o-lantern and to be the spirit of the dead.
3. Costumes. Wearing spooky costumes on Halloween comes from the Scottish, who believed wearing them would ward off or spook neighbors.
4. Decorating for Halloween. Each holiday has its festive look; however, Halloween is the scariest and most spooky look. From witches flying on brooms, pumpkins carved out with scary faces on them, bats flying, spider webs, and the color scheme of black and orange.
5. Goblins and Ghosts. These spooky names come from the ghosts of the dead who wandered the streets at night. Goblins and Ghost are also derived from the Celtic who believed that the souls of their loved ones would set a place at the dinner table, leave treats on the doorsteps, and lit candles to find their way back to the spirit world.
6. Trick or Treat. This tradition comes from the earlier Americans, who dressed in their costumes and went door to door asking for food or candy. Today, this tradition is still practiced, but with more fear put into it.
7. Samhainophia. The fear of Halloween in which the souls of the angry dead would come from hell and wandered the streets.
8. Animals. Black Cats, spiders, and bats. Seeing black cats, spiders, and bats symbolize superstition. It is believed that crossing in front of a black cat would bring bad luck, and this dates to the 1800s. These are also spooky Halloween symbols and ties to Wiccan (wise women). All three are believed to be tied to Witches in the Middle Ages.
9. Spooky movies. On October 31st, people can stream the scariest movies from Freddy Kruger (Nightmare on Elm Street), Thriller (Michael Jackson), Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Escape the Undertaker (2021), Things Heard and Seen (2021), Harry Potter, Hubie Halloween (2020), The Binding (2020) and others.
10. Late-night witchcraft. It is believed that witches practice witchcraft at night when everyone is asleep. So, what do witches do on Halloween? Witches also use an Ouija board to talk to spirits, which are not good but are bad. Witches conjure up the dead using the Ouija board; however, those spirits are evil and are not your dead family member. Witches also cast dark magic and summon spirits from the dead. Witches also celebrate Samhain Eve (The end of Summer). Overall, witches cast spells on people and look to make a human sacrifice.
Although Halloween is celebrated in diverse ways by people, Halloween has a demonic overtone to it. I do not celebrate Halloween because of the negativity surrounding it namely the ways people celebrate Halloween by having wild scary parties and watching ghost movies. Because this is my birth month and the season marks the end of summer, I celebrate the harvest of this season. Harvest is beautiful with all its fall colors, pumpkin spices, the smell of the cinnamon in our home, and other festivities I enjoy. I especially enjoy the fact that this time of the year also marks the beginning of harvest, which means those corn gardens are picked, the Apple Orchards are visited, and that good-tasting Apple Cider and donuts are eaten. To this end, this time of the year can be positive. People can choose the way they celebrate this time of the year, and I say, “To each their own.”
Happy Harvest!
Ghosts and Goblins, Witches and Candy. Oh My!