Halloween
... the dead spirits would return to damage crops and cause trouble. Not only did they worry that their crops would be destroyed but that the spirits were coming to earth for a bigger and more terrifying reason. That being to take over their bodies. Halloween is filled with tons of modern traditions. The first tradition that I was to talk about is of “trick-or-treating”. Trick-or-treating dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes.” These “soul cakes” were in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. This need for prayer to the dead was necessary because of the belief that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death and that through prayer their soul could go to heaven. The distribution of the cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for spirits. This practice was knows as “going a-souling”. It was eventually taken up by kids who would visit the houses in their neighborhoods and be given ale, food, and money. In the second half of the 19th century, Americans would go trick-or-treating for food and money. Young women at the time believed that on Halloween, they could figure the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apples, parings, or mirrors. And now trick-or-treating is done by kids of all ages. It is done in neighborhoods, malls, and even dorm hallways. People now-and-days have been know to give candy, stickers, pencils, gift certificates, and even money. The next tradition that I want to talk about is that of wearing costumes. The tradition of dressing in a costume is rooted in European and Celtic history. As I mentioned before, during the Samhain, people where very scared of the coming spirits. To avoid being recognized by the spirits people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark. They believed that the ghosts who mistake them for fellow spirits. The last tradition that I want to explain is that of the jack-o-lantern. The jack-o-lantern comes from an Irish folklore. The tale is about a man named Jack. Jack was a drunk who was tricked by Satan into climbing tree. Jack carved an image of a cross in the tree trunk, trapping the devil in the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil. T...