Children and the Origin of Halloween
No doubt that Halloween is a fun holiday for kids. Everyone seems to love the idea of going door-to-door in childrens costumes and collecting candy in the dark each October 31st. But some kids are going to ask questions about how this holiday came about. If you were never briefed on the holiday yourself, here are a few facts about Halloween you might offer to your children:
First, the origins of Halloween are a mix of medieval Christianity and Samhain, which is an ancient Irish festival . The festival was meant to honor the dead and celebrated the start of winter and the beginning of the new year, according to the old Celtic Calendar. As Christianity grew throughout Europe in the 9th Century, the Catholic Church decided that November 1st would be known as All Saints Day; this was meant to celebrate those saints who didn’t yet have their own day. The mass was known as Allhallowmas, or the mass of all saintly ones. The night before was known as All Hallows Eve.
In these early years, some people thought that the line between the living and the dead was weak during this time of year, a thin division which might allow spirits to return to the world and possess the living. It was believed that wearing the costumes of ghosts and ghouls would mean that real ghosts and ghouls would overlook you.
Considering the complexity of Halloween’s past, you might just wish to tell your child that we dress up and collect candy because it’s fun, leaving the explanations for later.
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