Why do we celebrate Halloween?
Many people look forward to Halloween, but not everyone knows the true origins of this holiday. Learn about the mysteries, superstition, ancient beliefs and traditions of Halloween.
Why do we celebrate Halloween?
Halloween comes from various age-old Thanksgiving traditions from the Norse and Celtic cultures. The first known celebrations of Halloween go back more than 2,000 years, when the Celts celebrated Samhain. The Celts lived in Ireland, Great Britain and northern France. Back then, Halloween was a celebration of the year’s harvest, that summer was over and that the cold winter was on its way. When the harvest had been brought in, druids gathered the villagers and lit a communal fire. Sometimes animals were sacrificed. Everyone who took part in the celebration could take home a flame for their own hearth. Old texts say that the celebration lasted for three days and three nights, and was compulsory. If you did not participate, it was believed that you could be punished by the gods through illness or death!
Avoid being kidnapped!
In Norse and Celtic traditions, it was believed that the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual world ceased on this night so that the dead returned. The Celts dressed up in animal costumes and dressed up like monsters so that evil spirits would not be tempted to kidnap them.
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