While we may celebrate Halloween differently this year, many traditions remain. Like scary pumpkins, and snacking on candy. So how did those traditions start?
Halloween datesback 2000 years when the Celts celebrated with a festival called Samhain. Itwas to mark the beginning of winter — when it was cold and dark and peoplethought the spirits came out.
There werecostumes back then, but no trick-or-treating, candy, or pumpkins.
This probablywon’t be a huge shock — those are mostly ideas that started here in the U.S. —according to Halloween expert Lesley Bannatyne, author of five books on thetopic.
So, pumpkins. Weknow for centuries Europeans carved vegetables like turnips or beets intolanterns for ways ward off evil spirits, but when Halloween made its way fromEurope to the U.S in the 1800’s we substituted pumpkins. They were everywhereand easier to cut into.
Early on, kidswould use carved pumpkins to scare people as the days turned shorter.Eventually, they just became great decorations.
What abouttrick-or-treating? According to Bannatyne, early Halloween in the US was a lotof parties and parades. But, by the early 1900s — the tricks were getting out ofhand. There was vandalism, there were pranks. So, town leaders pushed the ideatrick-or-treating. It was the modern-day version of a centuries-old traditionof people going door to door asking for food. And, those leaders emphasized thetreat over the trick.
Candy companiesare no dummies and realized this was great for them. They knew they could dobetter than the nuts and coins given out in the 1950’s. That’s when thebite-size was invented.
So, let’s getback to costumes. They were popular 2000 years ago. For millennia, people havebeen dressing up or disguising themselves for lots of holidays. But, over thepast century or so, those, let’s say — Valentine’s costumes dropped off, butHalloween didn’t.
And, whatstarted as frightening, morbid, homemade costumes — have now become so muchmore.
And this year’s most popularcostume? Hand Sanitizer. A light-green body suit worn under a clearvinyl skirt, with the words “kills 99% of germs” printed across it. And of,course, the dreaded virus. Happy Halloween, everyone!
