Considering that today is Halloween, I want to share some facts about this date that very few people know. Because behind the pumpkins and costumes, there's a history much stranger and older than it seems.
The "pumpkin lanterns" weren't pumpkins:
Before Halloween crossed the Atlantic, people in Ireland and Scotland carved turnips and beets to make lanterns. Pumpkins were only adopted in the United States because they were bigger, more abundant, and much easier to carve."Trick or treat" began as a real threat:
In its origins, young people didn't ask for candy: they played small pranks or threatened to do so if they didn't receive food or money. The practice became popular in the United States only in the 1920s and was consolidated as a harmless children's activity thanks to campaigns like UNICEF's in 1950.Halloween was originally a holiday for finding a partner:
In some areas of Ireland and Scotland, the night was dedicated to romantic fortune-telling games. Apples, nuts, and mirrors were used to try to predict who you would marry or even the wedding date. Nothing to do with terror: it was a night of romantic hope.The word "Halloween" has a religious origin:
It comes from "All Hallows' Eve," the Eve of All Saints' Day. The original Celtic festival, Samhain, was absorbed by the Christian Church, which moved the commemoration of the dead to those dates.There is a specific phobia of Halloween:
It's called samhainophobia, and it's the irrational fear of everything related to this celebration. It owes its name to Samhain, the Celtic festival from which it all was born.
Did you know any of these facts? Which one surprised you the most? I'll be reading you in the comments. 馃巸