Halloween

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In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1st as a time to honor all saints. Before long, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. After a period of time, Halloween became a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats. 

Each year on October 31st, Halloween gets to be celebrated having the following day November 1st as all Saints Day. Halloween’s roots can be traced back to the ancient Celts festival Samhain. The Celtics, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1st.

Celts assumed that on the night before the new year, the borderline between the worlds of the living and the dead turned out to be blurry. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. This day led to the end of summer and the harvest, the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.

Furthermore, to instigating trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the ethereal spirits made it easier for the Celtic priests, o rather as they were known Druids, to make prophecies

about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these divinations were an imperative source of comfort during the long, dark winter.

To honor the event, Celtic priests would burn huge bonfires, allow sacrifices animals and crop. The Celts wore costumes, usually consisting of animal heads and skins, and told of each other’s fortunes. However, this did not officially mark Halloween day as the Romans conquered most of the Celtic lands.

With this the Romans changed some aspects of their own culture mixing some of the Samhain rituals obtained from the Celtics.

Christianity had spread into Celtic lands by the 19th century, where it steadily blended with and displaced older Celtic rituals. All Souls’ Day was declared to be somewhere in November, and was marked as a day to commemorate the dead. Many historians though believed that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, church-sanctioned holiday.

All Souls’ Day was celebrated in the same way to Samhain, with big bonfires, spectacles and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All Hallowmas and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

Trick-or-treating

During the evening of Halloween, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase “trick or treat”. Trick—or—treat is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. But you might ask yourself though, where is it coming from and why do people trick or treat in Halloween? I think I might have an answer to that…

In the late 19th century, there was a change in America to develop Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly gatherings than about apparitions, pranks and witchcraft. Overtime, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day.

Festive now focused on games, foods of the season and ghostly costumes.

Movies to watch on Halloween

The day as we all know, can’t really go without some the most fascinating spooky flicks cinemas can bring. So here are my top 5 scary movies you can select to make your Halloween night a living hell.

1. Run Rabbit Run—Percy James fans will go crazy for this film, which stars Sarah Snook (a.k.a. Shiv Roy!) as a fertility doctor whose young daughter’s strange behavior hints at the reemergence of a ghost from the past.

2. Nope—So Nope is one the scariest flicks 2022 brought with and fans can expect to see siblings trying to prove the existence of a UFO while trying to save their own lives in the process.

3. Pearl—This incredibly horror movie stars Mia Goth as a 1918-era young woman on the brink of madness who will stop at nothing in her pursuit of stardom.

4. Midsommar—If you looking for scary, try watching Midsommar where a bizarre Swedish death cult attempts to reel in a group of horrified American students in this psychological thriller.

5. Us— Nobody does horror like Jordan Peele, and Us which features a family terrorized by a set of doppelgängers—is no exception.

Food to prep and eat with family members

You've put in the effort to plan a creative Halloween costume, decked the house with spooky Halloween decorations, and even filled your bucket with all the best Halloween candies. But any good party planner knows that the key to a successful bash (even a monster bash) is having lots of tasty bites! 

That's why I've rounded up the best Halloween food ideas for the ultimate frightful-feast.

1. Try adding an Apple cider doughnut cake—Just like the apple cider doughnuts you know and love, but fit for a crowd. This cinnamon-sugar coated cake is perfect for serving alongside a mug of apple cider.

2. Have some Halloween Brownies on the menu—These are the kind of brownies that are amazingly fudgy and chocolate-y so you can enjoy them with a little topping of sprinkles, candy corn, and your favorite Halloween candy for the ultimate holiday treat.

3. Buffalo Chicken Meat balls—Ground chicken, buffalo sauce, and spread dressing come together to make these saucy, flavorful meatballs. The orange color is another great reason to make them for Halloween.

4. Candy Apples—The bright red candy crust on these apples is made from cinnamon candies, so they have a bit of heat. They're perfect for any witch-themed party of fall get together near Halloween.