Halloween Count Down 27 Days

Halloween Countdown: 27 Days

Tidbit of Halloween History every day until the spookiest of them all!

Halloween has origins in an ancient pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. According to the calendar of the Celtic peoples, which was divided into four major holidays, the year began on the first day of winter which corresponds with November 1st on our current calendar. The Celts believed that at this time of year the ghosts of the dead were able to travel into the otherworld and mingle with the living. In celebration of the festival people sacrificed animals, vegetables, and fruits along with lighting bonfires to help the dead on their journey, keeping them away from the living. It was believed that on this day all parts of the underworld were being brought abroad from fairies to demons and ghosts. The holiday transformed considerably when the Christian missionaries began to change Druid religious practices performed by the Celtic people. The Druids were poets, scientists, scholars, and priests all in one. When the missionaries began to expel the pagan holidays they did so not by completely disregarding them, but by using them to their advantage in order to get a large conversion into Christianity. In doing so, the holidays we celebrate today such as Christmas on December 25th corresponds to the mid-winter pagan celebrations, and the beginning of winter celebration on October 31st coincides with Halloween.