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Halloween
Customs |
It's Halloween! Time
of the year that's absolutely
freakish and screaming
fun. Now today's Halloween isn't the same as it was 2000
years ago.
Did you know that the roots of Halloween lie way back in
centuries in the ancient Celtic New Year's festival,
Samhain? Well, in pre-Christian Ireland, the Celts believed
that on this day the spirits of the dead came down to earth & so
the Celtic priests or Druids built bonfires on this day and
offered sacrifices. The people dressed up in costumes to keep
the spirits at bay. Now if you're brainy enough, it won't be
hard for you to guess that the modern tradition of wearing
costumes on Halloween traces back to this practice!
Wondering where the freaky Halloween tradition of
trick-or-treating came from? Now, this had been 'gifted' to
the United States by the Irish immigrants who fled their country
during the potato famine. The Irish celebration of Halloween or
the Hallow E'en (evening of the Hallow), as it's called in
Ireland, means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All
Hallows'. On All Hallows Eve or Halloween, the Irish beggars
went asking for food or money from the rich. If refused, they
were threatened to be destroyed by the evil spirits. But who
wants to take chance on Halloween? Better start preparing the
soul-cakes & candy bags chockablock with nuts and candy, fruit
and gum for Halloween!
In 1950, a bunch of Philadelphian youngsters went about
collecting money on Halloween carrying decorated milk cartons.
And guess what? These little beings then sent their collected
Halloween sum to UNICEF to help the world's other children! Now
that's what we call being angels 'in disguise', right? Finally
this boiled down to the current fun-fiesta of trick-or-treating
on Halloween! And it sure gives a special spooky touch to
Halloween celebrations now. Hey are you ready to freak out on
fun? Don't miss out...
Like Halloween, the funky tradition of carving
pumpkins comes from the Celts too! The legend goes like this
that there once lived a miserly drunkard called Jack who was
doomed to wander the earth carrying a hollowed-out turnip with a
burning ember inside it. Eventually turnip was replaced with the
pumpkin in America and became the modern
Jack-o-Lantern of Halloween. It's said that placing a
jack-o-lantern on the porch or in the window, frightens away
the evil spirits on Halloween! Did you carve one out yet? If
not, get going! Halloween’s here!
Now if you are the extra-careful kind, you can try these out
too:
- Ring a bell on Halloween to scare the
ghouls away.
- Sprinkle salt & oatmeal on children's
head to keep them away from spooks on
Halloween night.
- Walk around your home backwards three
times before sunset on Halloween.
But meeting a spook or two on Halloween won't
be as bad! You know some of them can make real
'soul'-mates...but only if you dare to chum up, that is! How
about hanging out with your 'mates' on Halloween?
Witch is the best way to witch a witch on Halloween?
Uh...oh...Do you know which is the best way to wish a
witch on
Halloween? Just bring her a handsome wizard and she'll be swept
off her feet! You think that's why they're always up in the air?
Can be...who knows?
But if you're a brave heart and want to meet a witch on
Halloween night, you can put on your clothes inside out and walk
backwards! This is just a Halloween belief, but you can try it
out this Halloween!
Halloween celebrations have evolved through the years. The
witches, the ghosts, the goblins, the black cats, the
jack-o-lanterns, the spiders, the werewolves, the fun with
freakish costumes--all still remaining, Halloween celebrations
are astronomical in today’s world! And the fun seems never to
end. So get started to raise the right spirit this Halloween and
spook up your folks for a real fun
Hallo |
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