Halloween was just a few days ago, and I decided to
write this blog because Halloween seems to be a holiday that no one appreciates
as much as they should. It seems like everyone has decided Halloween is a
holiday for kids under the age of 14 and that it was only created to increase
the number of obese children. But after doing some research and reflecting on
my own Halloween experiences, I’m here to convince you it’s neither of these
things.
Not many people know the history or the origin of Halloween.
First, Halloween, originally, All Hallows Eve is the last day on the Celtic calendar,
it was originally a pagan holiday that was a day dedicated to honoring the
dead. All Hollows Eve dates back over 2000 years making it one of the oldest
holidays celebrated today.
All Hallows Eve also marks the end of summer and harvest,
so the Druids, a Celtic people, celebrated this holiday by dressing up as
witches, ghosts, goblins, and the like to keep from being possessed by the evil
spirits that wandered the world on this day. The also left out crops for the
spirits as a gifts, many researchers believe that this was the beginning of
trick-or-treating. It is believed Halloween came to America through the Irish immigrants that fled Ireland during
the Potato Famine of 1846.
So now that you know more about Halloween, I ask
you, why do many Americans feel that it’s a holiday just for children and
candy?
For me Halloween is a great opportunity to spend
time with friends. Though many people would say I’m too old, I still dress up
and go trick-or-treating every year. Why? Because it’s fun! Getting older doesn’t
mean you have to give up on having fun, dressing up a little ridiculously, and
eating too much candy!
I really learned a lot from this blog! I did not know any of those facts about Halloween. Thank you for stating that as long as you are having fun, there is nothing wrong with trick or treating as you get older. Thanks for sharing and I can't wait for trick or treating next year!
ReplyDeleteI actually knew about Halloween originally being a Celtic holiday. The Celts are my favorite group of people.
ReplyDeleteI tell my parents every year that, even though a few have misconceptions about Halloween, it is not, nor was it originally, a holiday just for children. I know it has evolved quite a bit, but the idea that it should only be for children is somewhat recent.
My parent's call me childish for wanting to dress up. My father bashes the high school for encouraging students to dress up. It is not childish, though. I always remind them that my neighbor went trick-or-treating throughout her college years. I remind them that they went trick-or-treating every year in college, yet they have not let me go since eighth grade.
If a high-schooler went as a a Teletubby, I could see how that may be called childish. Pray tell, though, how my costume from this last Halloween was childish. I carried a 20-pound shield around with me all day long. I wore Spartan-styled clothing. I had a metal vambrace. I also had a 6-foot spear, that, for obvious reasons, I could not bring to school. How is dressing as a member of one of history's most feared civilizations childish?
Misconceptions seem to eventually corrupt every holiday...