Originated as the Celtic New Year festival of Samhain, it is believed that
Halloween is the day when the evil spirits, such as vampires, ghosts and
witches, come to Earth and terrify people. In the past, the Celtic people used
to paint their faces and wear terrifying costumes to scare off these evil
spirits. The tradition has continued to the day, in the form of
'trick-or-treat', when children and even adults dress up as witches, ghosts,
pirates, etc and go from home to home in groups. They get candies and apples as
treat and those who dare not to entertain them get the blunt end of the stick
i.e. pranks and tricks are played on them. It's the day of the devil and the
time to unleash the monster within.
Halloween is celebrated almost all across the world. However, different
countries celebrate the holiday according to their own customs and traditions.
For instance, in Ireland, Scotland and parts of Northern England, the cultural
event has been celebrated for centuries and the practice is still going strong.
It is also celebrated in Central and South America, Mexico, Australia, New
Zealand, Germany, Austria, Romania, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark. The Arab
Christians, based in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, celebrate Saint Barbara's Day
or Eid il-Burbara, a festival similar to Halloween.
A corrupted version of Romans' 'All Hallows Eve', during which they used to
honor their saints, 'Halloween' is one of the very popular and beloved festivals
of the world today, especially among children. It is associated with interesting
customs, magical spells and the wicked costumes. So, start now by making your
home a ghoulish place for the ghosts to live and use our creative ideas to make
the Halloween delicacies in all the terrible forms, fit to be chewed upon and
drunk by your witch and vampire guests. Don't forget the terrible
'Jack-o-lanterns' to light up their way. Hee Hee Hee Hee…
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