25 Oct The History of Halloween
Have you ever wondered about the history of Halloween? Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, falls each year on 31st October. It is believed that the day was originally celebrated as an ancient Celtic festival which marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that this was a time when the living and the dead came together.
More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named 1st November All Saints Day or All Hallows. This was a special holy day to honour the saints and other people who had died for their religion.
European people also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on All Hallow’s Eve, and so on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts and other scary characters to scare them off. They thought if the spirits thought they were also dead, they would not cause them any harm.
The scary costume tradition has continued until the present day but now we tend to dress up for fun!
Read about our tips for easy Halloween costumes here.