Everything You Need to Know About Halloween 2023
Posted on 7th Aug, 2023 by Heena Ganotra , Updated 10 months ago
Mask Up, Get Ready With Your Costumes! It’s Time To Celebrate Halloween
The night of celebrating those creepy costumes, candies, and Ouija boards on Halloween Day is just around the corner. There’s so much to look forward to during this entertaining October holiday. From designing quirky costumes to trying out pumpkin carving ideas with kids and consuming inexhaustible quantities of Halloween goodies, candy, and chocolate. Halloween Celebration is an event full of happy, spooky, and entertaining vibes. Make this Happy Halloween happier with your family and avail of Halloween flight deals with MyIndiaFlight.
Table Of Content
Let’s Dig Deep Into The Historical Timeline of Halloween
Learning about Halloween’s history and its significance will make your festivities even more fun. After all, this ancient celebration has been around for a long time. It’s far older than you may believe! The witches and wizards are also associated with Halloween; in fact, they are a significant part of the tale. Here’s the real story about how Halloween came into existence.
You may already be aware that Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of October, but here’s something you may not be aware of. The term was subsequently abbreviated to “Halloween,” which we still know and adore. The name itself means “holy evening,” and it was originally known as All Hallows’ Eve among early European partygoers. Saints were honored on All Hallows’ Eve (October 31) and All Saints’ Day (November 1), respectively.
Hallow’s Eve was celebrated on May 13 until the 7th century CE. Pope Boniface IV eventually decided to move the commemoration for Saints Day on 1st November. This happened possibly in an attempt to balance the event with a religious feast.
Why Do We Celebrate Halloween on October 31?
Halloween has a history that dates back to 2000 years. Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The celebrations for this festival always took place at the end of October. The reason behind this was to honor the end of harvest and to celebrate the start of the new year. It was that time of year when watchers thought the veil between this world and the next diminished. This made people believe that they can now communicate with the dead world.
Besides that, Halloween is a unique concept that is echoed by certain other cultures as well. For example, the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur. This festival takes place in October and involves praying for the deceased and similar rituals like Halloween Day. This is also where the “haunted” notions of Halloween come from.
Halloween Activities
Because the Celts were polytheistic, the early pagan celebration of Samhain included many ceremonial rites to interact with spirits. Samhain rituals are something about which we know very little. Many people think that Celts dress up in different costumes to ward off ghosts. Also, celts ate special feasts and carved gourds into lanterns. Even after many years, these holidays’ core rituals remained an important part of the celebrations.
Earlier mysterious rites gave way to lighter games and activities. A more humorous notion of telling the future replaces the fairly ominous concept of interacting with the dead. On All Hallows’ Eve, for example, the unique activity of bobbing apples became a popular fortune-telling game. Throughout the nineteenth century, Halloween provided a significant (though superstitious) chance for young ladies to meet potential suitors.
Mirror-gazing was another common All Hallows’ Eve practice, with individuals hoping to gain a glimpse of their destiny by peering into the mirror. In the past, it was also a ritual to distribute fortune-cookie-like treats. Another unique ritual that People would perform in that era was scribbling messages on milk-soaked pieces of paper. It is then folded and stuffed into walnut shells. Afterward, now you have to cook the shells over an open flame in the milk for enough time so that the message emerges mystically.
History of Halloween Costumes and Trick-or-Treating
Many people used to dress up as saints and go door to door reciting hymns or poems. Children would often go door to door requesting “soul cakes,” which is a biscuit-like delicacy. As a ritual of the All Souls’ Day celebration, Soul cakes distribution took place on November 2. However, when the idea grew into trick-or-treating, it finally became a component of Halloween night. In the early to mid-1900s in the United States, Halloween had become a celebration for children more than for adults. People started hosting parades, Halloween parties, and celebrations. Trick-or-treat rituals also became widespread during the 1950s.
While the event originated as a sincere homage to saints, the custom lost its real meaning Until a new generation of Scottish and Irish pranksters came up with the notion of dressing up in frightening costumes to scare unsuspecting neighbors. The Halloween costume ideas immediately became popular and it became a ritual somehow for Halloween night. Halloween costumes became terrifying, creepy, hilarious, and innovative all at the same time, due to these neighborhood troublemakers. It also became a ritual to wear family Halloween costumes and baby Halloween costumes on Halloween night.
How Halloween Made Its Way to America?
Due to the strict Protestant religious systems in colonial New England, Halloween Celebrations faced restrictions and obstructions. So the popularity of Halloween was more visible in Maryland and the southern colonies.
As the beliefs and practices of various European ethnic groups and American Indians collided, a special dedicated American form of Halloween arose. “Play parties,” which were public activities intended to celebrate the harvest, were among the first festivities. It included people telling ghost stories, fortunes, singing, and performing.
During the colonial Halloween celebrations, people started sharing Ghost stories and other forms of mischief. Halloween Day was still not observed even when people started celebrating Annual Falls. New immigrants flooded America throughout the second part of the nineteenth century who particularly contributed to Halloween’s national popularity.
Different Halloween Theme-Based Films
When it comes to economic success, frightening Halloween films have a great track record of becoming box office hits especially during Halloween time. The “Halloween” series is based on the 1978 original picture directed by John Carpenter. It is a classic Halloween film you can watch out for a spooky night feel. Another film you can watch on your Halloween night is “Halloween,”. All these Halloween-themed films will be a great film-watch party for you and your family.
How Halloween Is Celebrated Today
Although Halloween is still a popular festival in the United States, it almost didn’t make it across the Atlantic because of the Puritans. All holiday pagan origins even opposed the Puritans. They did not even participate in the festivities. However, when more Irish and Scottish immigrants arrived in the United States, the holiday got its popular consciousness back.
The very first American colonial Halloween celebrations also included listening to ghost stories, singing, and dancing during the celebrations. By the early twentieth century, the majority of (candy-loving, costume-wearing) individuals in North America started celebrating Halloween. In the present-day scenario, Halloween celebrations are more celebrated as a public holiday. Today Halloween Day is a public holiday where individuals celebrate by eating their favorite candy in the morning and end it by admiring neighbors’ spooky and creative decorations.
Today, it is more of a celebration popular amongst kids. We see children moving around their neighborhood trick or treating. And every individual out there will bring out their creative side through their Halloween decorations. No matter how old Halloween celebrations get, all these notions of trick or treating, Halloween costume parties and other traditions will keep this celebration alive for many years to come.
FAQs
Q: Why do we celebrate Halloween?
Ans: The custom dates back to the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain. It is a belief that on Halloween day the souls of the dead return back to their homes. So people used to dress up in different costumes in order to ward off the spirits.
Q: When was the last full moon on Halloween?
Ans: The last time a full Moon fell on Halloween night was in 2020. Halloween always falls on October 31st every year.
Q: When did Halloween start?
Ans: The tradition of Halloween began with the ancient celtic festival of Samhain. During this festival people used to wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
Q: Is Halloween a holiday?
Ans: Yes, Halloween is a holiday that takes place every year on October 31st.
Q: How many days until Halloween?
Ans: Halloween is celebrated on 31st October every year. So book your Halloween flight deals with Superfares and celebrate this spooky festival with your friends and family.
Q: Can I download halloween wallpaper from the internet?
Ans: Yes there are many halloween wallpapers that are available on the internet during the halloween time. You can easily download them.
Q: How to get cheap flights on Halloween weekend?
Ans: Start your research on Halloween flight deals and book your tickets as early as possible. Book your tickets with Superfares and enjoy special flight deals for Halloween easily.
Other Popular Flight Deals
While Halloween is big indeed, other popular flight deals during the holidays are as follows –
Well, that’s pretty much everything we had to share about Halloween. If you have any queries or future flights to book, don’t hesitate to reach out to MyIndiaFlights – a leading air-ticketing platform for flights from USA to India and flights from Australia to India. You can either call us or join the live chat for more quick details.
About Heena | View Posts
A writer by both passion and profession, Heena Ganotra is "half agony, half hope" but all heart. And oh, she has been a book lover from the start! Her love for books is what convinced her to make a career in the wonderful world of words. She loves what she does and is out-and-out a satisfied soul with a wish to spread happiness like herpes. Insight- Some say she is living the best life anyone could because she reads, writes, travels, and makes merry. They’re right because what else does one really need! :)
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