Halloween on the Net - Dressing Up & Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Dressing Up & Trick-or-Treating
on Halloween

While modern-day Halloween is not a pagan holiday, the traditions of this October 31st holiday are most definitely rooted in the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain. Wearing costumes, for example, dates back to the Celtic tradition of dressing up in animal costumes to mark the end of summer and the coming of winter.

The custom of wearing costumes was later adopted by Christians in their celebration of All Souls Day (November 2nd). Rather than dressing like animals, however, Church-goers wore costumes of saints, angels, devils and fairies as a nod to the hallowed spirits honored on All Souls Day.

The popular custom of trick-or-treating also has its roots in Celtic tradition. During the Celtic period, the November 1st holiday of Samhain was considered a time to honor the dead. The souls of those who had died in the past year transitioned on Samhain from this world to the spirit world. To aid their deceased ancestors on their journey, the Celtic people would leave out food for the spirits to eat before their long journey.

Over the centuries, Samhain revelers began the custom of dressing up as spirits and performing antics in exchange for food - a tradition that came to be known as mumming, the custom that inspired trick-or-treating as we know it today.

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Comments

JK3SZ from Missouri, US

15:34 10/31/2008

not bad of a site

sumpter

09:38 10/31/2008

this site rocks

Skov - jensen from Pennsylvania, US

07:06 10/31/2008

hej we are from denmark:) * and that is pretty cool:) we love halloween and avril laving

Rose from Ukraine

04:55 10/31/2008

Cool!))))))I love Halloween very much!I'm going to have a party tonight!Happy HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!))))))))

paula

16:01 10/29/2008

hello iÂ´m from spain hello to every body and HAPPY HALLOWEEN (*)!!! bye and hello jajaja!!! love for every body: Paula

Kristy from Lithuania

03:54 10/29/2008

Very cool

Russian

14:33 10/28/2008

Cool! I like H.W. Wery good!

krykio

05:51 10/28/2008

Very cool..........................

Mette from Denmark

06:26 10/27/2008

Cool! I love cats and black cats

shanya

10:37 10/15/2008

you guysd are going all out for these halloween thing thats the tuerth from my opinon and the little kids look so adurable for mall the heaters by:shanya

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Dressing Up & Trick-or-Treatingon Halloween

Dressing Up & Trick-or-Treating
on Halloween