Did you ever wonder how it all started?
It turns out that Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Welsh) festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) marked this day as the end of summer and the end of the harvest season. The following day, November 1 marked their New Year and the start of the long dreaded winter in Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and Wales.
In addition, the Celts thought that the presence of otherworldy spirits made it easier for the Druids to make predictions about the future. To commemorate the even the Druids built huge sacred bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and make animal sacrifices to the Celtic Gods to ward off bad spirits. During the Celebrations, people often wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins and attempted to tell each other's fortunes.
For more on the History of Halloween, click here.
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