Facts about Halloween answer questions
Question: Where did Halloween come from?
Tradition: The word Halloween means “All Hallows Eve,” and refers to the night before the traditional Irish Holiday, All Saints Day, on Nov. 1. All Hallows Eve began in the 5th century by the Celtic pagans, in celebration of the end of harvest. Irish immigrants who were driven out of Ireland due to a seven-year potatoes famine brought the holiday to America in the 1840’s.
Source: www.dcls.org/x/archives/halloween.
Question: Why are black cats bad luck?
Tradition: It was believed that cats were a link between witches and the devil. The bigger the contrast between the cat’s fur and eyes, the worse the cat was.
Source: “The Big Book of Halloween.”
Question: Why do we dress up in costumes for Halloween?
Tradition: On Oct. 31 all the spirits of the people who had died throughout the year came back to possess bodies of the living. To avoid this undesired event, the Celts would dress up in scary costumes, parade throughout the town and play tricks on people to frighten away the spirits.
Source: “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.”
Question: What is the purpose of Jack-O-Lanterns and where do they come from?
Tradition: A man named Jack who tricked Satan by getting him to climb a tree. Jack then trapped him by carving a cross on the trunk of the tree. A deal was made with Satan, that Jack would let him get down if he promised never to tempt him again. After Jack died he could not get into heaven because of his evil life and Satan would not let him into Hell. Jack was then forced to wander in the darkness forever with only a single ember to light his way. Jack carved out a turnip to keep the ember glowing. Irish immigrants in America started using pumpkins instead of turnips because pumpkins were more plentiful.
Source: www.wilstar.com/holidays/hallown2.htm.