Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in countries around the world. It is a day of dressing up and trick-or-treating with friends, but there is more to it than that. Over time, Halloween has lost its true meaning and became more commercialized.
Halloween was originated by the Romans and it dates back to centuries ago. The Romans worshiped various gods and on October 31st, a special feast was held for the god of the dead and the god of fruit trees. The god of the dead represents people dressing up in scary costumes today, and candy symbolizes fruit from the god of fruit trees. The Romans believed wicked souls or spirits were released the night before November 1st. Since they were afraid of these spirits, they chose October 31st as a day to sacrifice their gods hoping they would protect them. They also believed that cats were holy animals that represented people that lived formally, and as punishment for evil deeds they were reincarnated as a cat. That’s the reason cats and ghosts are a part of Halloween today. (Wikimedia Foundation)
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The Irish started the tradition of jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. Hundreds of years ago, Irish farmers would go around village by village begging for food to please their gods. They would then use the food they got for the celebration held on October 31st. They promised good luck for the people who gave them food, and threatened the ones who refused. They said “You treat me, or else I would trick you!” The jack-o-lantern started with the legend of a man named Jack who was unable to enter heaven, and unable to enter hell. Therefore, he was forced to wander around Earth with his lantern until judgment day (the end of the world). The Irish began to hollow out pumpkins and light candles inside them, hopefully scaring away evil spirits so they wouldn’t have the same fate as Jack. That’s where the term “jack-o-lantern” originated from. (A+E