Happy Haunted October!

It’s the month of ghoulish demons and ghastly phantasms, so in2it.sg thought we’d kick it off by exploring the history and traditions behind this spooky holiday.

What is Halloween?

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, it is predominantly celebrated in the west although it has been gaining popularity in the east. This grisly holiday finds its roots in the combination of the Celtic Samhain and the Catholic Church’s All Hallows Eve.

Halloween is a contraction of All Hallows Even, which was the evening before All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) on November 1. The Catholic Church wanted to replace such lingering pagan of believe in spirits with more suitable Christian ones; now Halloween is probably one of the most secular holidays celebrated in the West. Why wear Costumes?

The Celts believed that the end of summer (the start of their new year) was when border between the spirit world and the human world become fragile enough that the dead would be able to reach out and possess someone’s body. To prevent this from happening, the Celts dressed up in ghoulish costumes to try and ward off evil spirits while honoring their ancestors.

Nowadays, Halloween costumes means going as your favorite TV character or superhero for guys. And for the girls? The sexier the better. Dressing up on Halloween isn’t just for kids any more.

 Candle in a Gourd?

 Long ago, candle lanterns carved from turnips were used in the practice of ‘souling’, to commemorate souls in purgatory. In traditional Celtic Halloween festivals, large hollowed out turnips with carved faces would be placed in windows to ward off evil spirits. Pumpkins are used in North America mainly due to availability. Contemporary Jack-o’-Lanterns are more comical or more thematic than before, with carvers taking with great care to detail their pumpkins to create the image of their favorite characters or things.

 
Trick or Treat

 
Trick or Treating is the when kids dress up in costumes and go around from house to house asking for candy and threatening to perform a ‘trick’ if they are not given a ‘treat’. It has its roots in ‘souling’ a British and Irish tradition, where children and poor people sing and pray for the dead in exchange for cakes. “Guising” is another activity in which children dress up and go around asking for candies, although this was in the late 19th century in Ireland and Scotland; although the activity itself has been dated way back into the Middle Ages.

Halloween Treats

Candied apples are a traditional favorite during Halloween. This is because the apple harvest season is just before Halloween. Another holiday favorite is caramel corn, although candy corn is also popular. Originally the treats would take the form of soul cakes (small round cakes made for ‘souling’). Treats now take the form of chocolates and Halloween novelty candy instead.

 For as long as there have been derelict, decrepit houses, there have been stories about ghosts that haunt these places. Some, like the Winchester Msytery House, have more than a shred of truth to it, but more often than not, they are just rumors. During Halloween however, the number of ‘haunted’ house increase in number exponentially as people start decking out their houses to create the spooky but fun Halloween atmosphere.

And so now you know the basics of Halloween. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start getting your spook on!