By Sarah Johnson |Staff Writer|
With the holiday quickly approaching, many of us are getting into the Halloween mood with pumpkin carving, costume prepping, and contracting sweet tooth-initus.
This holiday is fun to many, but just how much do you know about All Hallows Eve?
Here are some fun facts about Oct. 31 that you may not already know.
According to The History Channel website, Halloween originated over 2,000 years ago from the ancient Celtic Festival called Samhain, which was celebrated on Nov. 1.
People believed the dead returned as ghosts on Oct. 31, the night before Samhain.
To keep roaming spirits occupied, people would leave wine and food on their doorsteps.
They would also wear masks when they left the house to try and keep the dead from recognizing the living.
This is what is believed to have kick-started modern day costumes.
Practical jokes on Halloween were common in the 1800s, but turned ugly in the 1920s.
Irish and Scottish immigrants revived these old traditions, resulting in the trick-or-treating that we know and love today.
Pumpkin carving started as a Celtic tradition and was brought over to the United States by Irish immigrants.
Oddly enough, the Irish did not originally carve pumpkins because they didn’t have them in Ireland.
Therefore, the first Jack-o-Lanterns were carved mainly from turnips and rutabagas.
The Irish would place candles inside of their Jack-o-Lanterns to ward off the evil spirits they believed to be lurking around on Halloween.
Speaking of evil spirits, written on AmericanFolklore.net, black cats have been believed to have the ability to steal a dead person’s soul before the gods could claim it.
This folklore originated from Scotland in the belief that a fairy named Cat Sith took on the appearance of a giant black cat.
Because of this, the Scottish would sit with a dead body the night prior to its burial to protect it from the Cat Sith.
Black cats were, and still are, perceived by some to be witches or demons in disguise in the United States. On the contrary, white cats are the ones thought to bring bad luck in the United Kingdom.
Another fun, mythical fact, spotting a spider on Halloween is to encounter the spirit of a loved one watching over you.
If you are in Hollywood, be aware that it is illegal to use silly string on Halloween.
According to the LAPD, “individuals, businesses and/or vendors possessing or selling Silly String on public or private property in Hollywood will be given the option to voluntarily discard the product or face a maximum $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.”
Also, if by chance you’re in Alabama, don’t dare to dress up as a priest, as it is illegal to pretend to be a clergyman.
When you go out on Halloween this Friday, remember to leave wine and food on your doorsteps, prep your Jack-o-Lanterns for evil spirits, and steer clear of cats, both white and black just to be safe.
Happy Halloween!
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