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Ancient Origins of Halloween Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) !he Celts" who lived #"$$$ %ears ago in the area that is now &reland" the nited ingdom and northern rance" celebrated their new %ear on *ovember + !his da% marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark" cold winter" a time of %ear that was often associated with human death Celts believed that on the night before the new %ear" the boundar% between the worlds of the living and the dead  became blurred On the night of Oct ober ,+ the% celebrated Samhain" when it was  believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth &n addition to causing trouble and damaging crops" Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldl% spirits made it easier for the ruids" or Celtic priests" to make predictions about the future or a  people entirel% dependent on the volatil e natural world" these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long" dark winter !o commemorate the event" ruids built huge sacred bonfires" where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities uring the celebration" the Celts wore costumes" t%picall% consisting of animal heads and skins" and attempted to tell each other's fortunes .hen the celebration was over" the% re-lit their hearth fires" which the% had e/tinguished earlier that evening" from the sacred  bonfire to help protect them during t he coming winter !he 0egend of 1Sting% 2ack1 3eople have been making 4ack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries !he practice originated from an &rish m%th about a man nicknamed 1Sting% 2ack1 According to the stor%" Sting% 2ack invited the evil to have a drink with him !rue to his name" Sting% 2ack didn't want to pa% for his drink" so he convinced the evil to turn himself into a coin that 2ack could use to bu% their drinks Once the evil did so" 2ack decided to keep the mone% and put it into his pocket ne/t to a silver cross" which prevented the evil from changing back into his original form 2ack eventuall% freed the evil" under the condition that he would not bother 2ack for one %ear and that" should 2ack die" he would not claim his soul !he ne/t %ear" 2ack again tricked the evil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit .hile he was up in the tree" 2ack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the evil could not come down until the evil promised 2ack not to bother him for ten more %ears Soon after" 2ack died As the legend goes" 5od would not allow such an unsavor% figure into heaven !he evil" upset b% the trick 2ack had pla%ed on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul" would not allow 2ack into hell He sent 2ack off into the dark night with onl% a burning coal to light his wa% 2ack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and

Fascinating Facts About Hallowe

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Page 1: Fascinating Facts About Hallowe

 

Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced

sow-in) !he Celts" who lived #"$$$ %ears ago in the area that is now &reland" the nited

ingdom and northern rance" celebrated their new %ear on *ovember + !his da%

marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark" cold winter" a

time of %ear that was often associated with human death Celts believed that on the

night before the new %ear" the boundar% between the worlds of the living and the dead

 became blurred On the night of October ,+ the% celebrated Samhain" when it was

 believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth &n addition to causing trouble and

damaging crops" Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldl% spirits made it

easier for the ruids" or Celtic priests" to make predictions about the future or a

 people entirel% dependent on the volatile natural world" these prophecies were an

important source of comfort and direction during the long" dark winter

!o commemorate the event" ruids built huge sacred bonfires" where the people

gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities uring the

celebration" the Celts wore costumes" t%picall% consisting of animal heads and skins"

and attempted to tell each other's fortunes .hen the celebration was over" the% re-lit

their hearth fires" which the% had e/tinguished earlier that evening" from the sacred

 bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter

!he 0egend of 1Sting% 2ack1

3eople have been making 4ack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries !he practice

originated from an &rish m%th about a man nicknamed 1Sting% 2ack1 According to the

stor%" Sting% 2ack invited the evil to have a drink with him !rue to his name" Sting%

2ack didn't want to pa% for his drink" so he convinced the evil to turn himself into a

coin that 2ack could use to bu% their drinks Once the evil did so" 2ack decided to keep

the mone% and put it into his pocket ne/t to a silver cross" which prevented the evil

from changing back into his original form 2ack eventuall% freed the evil" under the

condition that he would not bother 2ack for one %ear and that" should 2ack die" he would

not claim his soul !he ne/t %ear" 2ack again tricked the evil into climbing into a tree

to pick a piece of fruit .hile he was up in the tree" 2ack carved a sign of the cross into

the tree's bark so that the evil could not come down until the evil promised 2ack not

to bother him for ten more %ears

Soon after" 2ack died As the legend goes" 5od would not allow such an unsavor% figure

into heaven !he evil" upset b% the trick 2ack had pla%ed on him and keeping his word

not to claim his soul" would not allow 2ack into hell He sent 2ack off into the dark night

with onl% a burning coal to light his wa% 2ack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and

Page 2: Fascinating Facts About Hallowe

 

has been roaming the 6arth with ever since !he &rish began to refer to this ghostl%

figure as 12ack of the 0antern"1 and then" simpl% 12ack O'0antern1

&n &reland and Scotland" people began to make their own versions of 2ack's lanterns b%

carving scar% faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near

doors to frighten awa% Sting% 2ack and other wandering evil spirits &n 6ngland" large

 beets are used &mmigrants from these countries brought the 4ack o'lantern tradition with

them when the% came to the nited States !he% soon found that pumpkins" a fruit

native to America" make perfect 4ack-o'-lanterns

ascinating acts about Hallowe'en

Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world" dating back over #$$$ %ears to

the time of the Celts who lived in 7ritain

Halloween is also knownb% other names8

All Hallows 6ve

 Samhain

 All Hallowtide

 !he east of the ead

 !he a% of the ead

Halloween in .elsh is '*os Calan 5aeaf'

Halloween is correctl% spelt as Hallowe9en

.hen Christianit% came to 6ngland and the rest of 6urope" + *ovember became All

Saints a% - a da% dedicated to all those saints who didn't have a special da% of their

own !he% performed a mass called 'All hallows mass' and the night before became

known as All Hallows 6'en and eventuall% Hallowe9en or Halloween

.hen the :omans con;uered 6ngland" the% merged Samhain with their own festivals" a

harvest festival called 3oloma" and a celebration for the dead called eralia

&n <e/ico" the% celebrate 6l ia de los <uertos or the a% of the ead starting the

evening of October ,+

Page 3: Fascinating Facts About Hallowe

 

&t is thought that the colours orange and black became Halloween colours because

orange is associated with harvests (Halloween marks the end of harvest) and black is

associated with death

7lack cats were originall% believed to protect witches' powers from negative forces

A pumpkin is reall% a s;uash" and comes from the same famil% as the cucumber

About ==> of pumpkins sold are used as 2ack O' 0anterns at Halloween

!he biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at a whopping +"??@ pounds !his

gigantic gourd was weighed in October #$$? at a pumpkin festival in 3ort 6lgin"

Ontario" Canada

!he record for the fastest pumpkin carver in the world is 2err% A%ers of 7altimore"

Ohio He carved a pumpkin in 4ust , secondsB

!he ver% first 4ack o' lantern was made out of hollowed out turnips

:inging a bell scares evil spirits awa%

&f %ou see a spider on this night" it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is

watching %ou

!o meet a witch" put %our clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween

night

!op !ips for Halloween

&f %our pumpkin lantern shrivels up" %ou can restore it b% soaking it overnight in water

to re h%drate it

 

Page 4: Fascinating Facts About Hallowe