Halloween 2022: History, significance, facts and much more

October 31st is just around the corner. And, we all know what it means! It's time to get our spooky costumes out of our closets and dress up for some trick-or-treating. In no time, we will see the streets getting decorated with pumpkins, nets and inflated vampires. Clubs and restaurants will get filled with smoke machines, photo bars and paint stations. And, not just kids but adults, too, will get to celebrate the secular holiday with their friends and family. But before we get into the holiday mode and start celebrating, let's learn a bit more about its history, significance and more.

History and significance of Halloween

The word 'Halloween' can be traced back to medieval Christianity and is a short form of All Hallows' Eve which means hallowed evening. According to one theory, the history of Halloween dates back to a pagan festival called Samhain. The word hallow, which is derived from the Middle and Old English words, means holy. As a noun, it can also mean saint. Back in the day, the Christian holiday we now know as All Saints' Day was called All Hallows' Day, and the day before All Hallows' Day was called All Hallows' Eve. That three-word name eventually got shortened to Halloween.

The ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, which used to be scheduled every year on November 1 but kicked off the evening before, is regarded as the earliest known root of the secular Halloween traditions. The day marked an important time of year as seasons changed, leaves turned vibrant autumn shades, temperatures dropped, and people started to pull out sweaters and jackets. However, observers also believed that on Halloween, the boundary between this world and the next became thin, enabling spirits from other dimensions to connect with us. This is also where Halloween gainedits "haunted" connotations.

During the Samhain festival, the souls of the dead were believed to return to earth to visit their homes. To welcome their loved ones back to their homes, people used to decorate their houses and make delicious food at home. While to scare away evil spirits, people used toset bonfires on hilltops, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the evil spirits. People used to dress up aswitches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons to dodge spirits.

Over time, as Christianity took over society and the pagan traditions started to disappear, the Wiccanundertones of the holiday reduced whilethe basic traditions of the holiday remained a part of pop culture. In short, the holiday simply evolved and modernized.

Some facts about Halloween

• To celebrate Halloween, trick-or-treaters hop from house to house andthreaten people that they will pull a harmless trick on them if they do not receive a treat, which is usually chocolate orcandy. This tradition dates back to the medieval times
• Back in the 18th century, single ladies used Halloween traditions to find their romantic match. Women used to throw apple peels over their shoulders, hoping to see their future husband’s initials in the pattern when they landed
• Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in Unites Staes, second only to Christmas
• The origin of the tradition of carving scary faces on pumpkins comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil for his own monetary gain and as a result, got sentenced to roam the earth for eternity