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Trick or Treat! Halloween is a holiday filled with excitement and imagination, celebrated every year on the night of October 31st. But what many might not realize is that this holiday has a history that spans over 2,000 years, rooted in old beliefs and fascinating traditions.
One of the most intriguing customs associated with Halloween is the tradition of wearing costumes. People used to believe that on this particular night, the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred. To protect themselves from malevolent spirits, they started the practice of wearing costumes. The idea was to confuse these spirits, making them think that the costumed individuals were one of their own. Thus, the tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween began.
Now, let’s talk about the jack-o’-lantern. You might have seen a special kind of pumpkin with a scary face carved into it during Halloween. This is called a jack-o’-lantern. The history of the jack-o’-lantern goes back to Ireland. In the past, people used to carve faces into turnips, potatoes, or beets to scare away evil spirits.
When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins, which were bigger and easier to carve. So, they started using pumpkins to make jack-o’-lanterns. This is how the pumpkin or the jack-o’-lantern became a symbol of Halloween.
Today, Halloween is a time for dressing up in fun costumes, carving pumpkins, and enjoying lots of candy. It’s a mix of ancient beliefs and new traditions, celebrated in many countries around the world. So, the next time you put on a costume or carve a pumpkin, remember the long and exciting history of Halloween!
Discussion
- Do you enjoy Halloween, if so what aspects of them do you find most enjoyable?
- What is your favorite festival holiday?
- Do you believe in ghost? Also, have you ever encountered a ghost?