Children would also go door to door asking for "soul cakes," a treat similar to biscuits. Technical note: Soul cakes originated as part of the All Souls' Day holiday on November 2 yep, a third holiday! The candy-grabbing concept also became mainstream in the U. As for the costumes, they evolved, too. While they began as earnest tributes to saints, that tradition likely fell out of favor at some point…until young Scottish and Irish pranksters got the idea to dress up in scary-looking garb again as a way to spook unsuspecting neighbors.
And just like that, thanks to these local hooligans, Halloween costumes became scary, spooky, funny, and creative all at the same time. Halloween obviously remains a popular holiday in America today, but it actually almost didn't make it across the Atlantic.
The Puritans were disapproving of the holiday's pagan roots, so they didn't take part in the celebrations. But once Irish and Scottish immigrants began to arrive in America in greater numbers, the holiday made its way back into the zeitgeist. The very first American colonial Halloween celebrations featured large public parties to commemorate the upcoming harvest, tell ghost stories, sing, and dance. It's estimated that by the early 20 th century, Halloween was celebrated across North America by the majority of candy-loving, costume-wearing people.
And this year, once again, we'll all be enjoying our favorite candy and admiring our neighbors' decorations on October 31—and the only spooky spirits we'll be talking about are the witch and ghost costumes our friends are wearing. Country Life. Design Ideas. Home Maintenance. Country Living Shop.
Shopping Guides. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Makeover Takeover: Colonial Comeback. Treat Your Family to Homemade Cupcakes. That said, All Saints' Day on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2 have been celebrated around the world for centuries, particularly in countries with large Catholic and Eastern Orthodox populations.
If you happen to be traveling around Halloween time this year, here are a few countries where you might come across some interesting traditions. Halloween originated in Ireland, so it's no surprise that the Emerald Isle is the one place outside of North America where you're sure to find plenty going on for All Hallows' Eve. These include the consumption of barnbrack a traditional fruitcake , lighting bonfires, and setting off fireworks.
There are also plenty of special events held across the island, including Derry's huge Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival -- a street party with thousands of costumed revelers -- and bigger cities, including Dublin and Galway , host grand parades and street fairs. Today, the Mexican holiday is associated with All Saints and All Souls Day, but some believe it actually originated from Aztec practices dedicated to the goddess of the dead. While the festival is feted across the country, the celebration is particularly beloved in the central and southern regions.
The traditions of this three-day fete vary regionally, but there are a number of practices found throughout the country. These include constructing altars to deceased family members, and visiting graves with offerings such as candy skulls made of sugar, sweet breads, and bottles of tequila and mezcal.
Although Halloween isn't particularly popular in most of Italy, the small island of Sardinia has long been practicing traditions similar to those found in the United States.
By the middle of the 19th century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country. In the second half of the 19th century, America was flooded with new immigrants.
These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing the Irish Potato Famine , helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Young women believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings or mirrors.
In the late s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season and festive costumes.
Because of these efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century. By the s and s, Halloween had become a secular but community-centered holiday, with parades and town-wide Halloween parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague some celebrations in many communities during this time. By the s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young.
Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between and , the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration.
In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. Thus, a new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Speaking of commercial success, scary Halloween movies have a long history of being box office hits. A sequel to that—"Halloween Kills," the twelfth film in the "Halloween" franchise overall—was released in The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits.
The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes.
To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter. Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends.
For these friendly spirits, they set places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and along the side of the road and lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world.
We avoid crossing paths with black cats , afraid that they might bring us bad luck. This idea has its roots in the Middle Ages , when many people believed that witches avoided detection by turning themselves into black cats. We try not to walk under ladders for the same reason.
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