Holiday: Halloween
Date: October 31, 2011
History: History.com describes it best: "Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off raomaing ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints' Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows' Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gathering, costumes and sweet treats."
Interesting Facts: One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween. Carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland. However, they made them out of turnips or potatoes since it wasn't until Irish immigrants arrived in America that they discovered pumkins. Haunted house attractions bring in about half a billion dollars annually. Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday world-wide after Christmas.
Date: October 31, 2011
History: History.com describes it best: "Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off raomaing ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints' Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows' Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gathering, costumes and sweet treats."
Interesting Facts: One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween. Carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland. However, they made them out of turnips or potatoes since it wasn't until Irish immigrants arrived in America that they discovered pumkins. Haunted house attractions bring in about half a billion dollars annually. Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday world-wide after Christmas.
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