On this evening, the Celts believed that the ghosts of those who had died returned to their homes. To keep away any ghosts that might cause trouble they would light bonfires. The Celts, dressed in costumes, gathered around the bonfires and burned crops as sacrifices to their gods.
Christianity was introduced to the Celts in the 800s. Even though Samhain was a pagan holiday, they continued to celebrate it. Pope Gregory moved the Christian holiday of All Saints Day, to November 1. The evening before became known as All Hallows Eve, gradually changing to Halloween. It was celebrated in basically the same way as the festival of Samhain.
Halloween in Ireland and Scotland during the 1600s was a lot of fun for the kids. They would dress in costumes and bob for apples. They would sing songs and tell stories for coins, fruit and candy. They would carve jack-o-lanterns out of turnips or potatoes to decorate their homes.
Food was left out overnight for any spirits that returned on this day. In England, people would go from house to house souling (asking for small bits of bread called soul cakes in return for prayer). Mumming (parading around in masks) was popular in other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At first, Halloween wasn't celebrated in the United States. The British brought over Guy Fawkes Day, but people soon lost interest. The Irish and Scottish settlers introduced Halloween and made it popular. Jack-o-lanterns were carved out of pumpkins instead of turnips and potatoes. The children would go from door to door on Halloween to collect candy and treats.
How does Halloween fit in with living naturally? When you are doing your absolute best to live naturally, it just doesn’t seem right to hand out candy that is loaded with artificial ingredients, such as high fructose corn syrup, to anyone. This Halloween, why not hand out treats that won’t be harmful to the ones knocking on your door?
Are there any treats such as that? Yes, there are plenty of them. There are many treats that last a lot longer than candy, and in the long run, give more enjoyment to those who receive them. Candy gives them belly aches and tooth decay. If you want to give edible treats, hand out fruit. Apples, raisins, applesauce in single serving containers and dried fruit are some options. Granola bars are also a good idea, just be sure and check the ingredients before you buy. Not all granola bars are healthy.
Single serving juice boxes are a favorite treat for most kids. Again, be sure it is 100% juice and not full of added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Homemade treats are awesome and you are in control of the ingredients, but you may want to only hand those out to people you are acquainted with. Otherwise, they may end up in the trash. Most people, with good reason, just aren’t very trusting anymore.
With their education in mind, decorative pencils, erasers and bookmarks might make schoolwork a bit more fun. These can be bought in bulk and don't cost that much.
Be a friend to nature and give out bags of seeds for flowers or trees with instructions on how to plant and take care of them. This Halloween, make the choice to give out treats that are healthy or will give lasting enjoyment to those who visit your home.
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