The controversial holiday of Halloween has been celebrated for many decades. It is believed that Halloween began way back from the Celtic people on Samhain. The folks believed that during this time the border between the dead became thin. The people believed that the spirits of the restless dead would visit them if they dressed up as the spirits themselves. During this time families would try to make ancestors feel welcome, but they struggled with how to ward off evil spirits. Thus the costumes. They believed that they could ward off the evil spirits by dressing up and their family members would know it was them and would still feel welcomed.
The actual name “Halloween” recently came around in the 16th century. The name derives from Old Irish and roughly translated means, “Summers End.” The part of “trick-or-treating” came along later. Children would dress up as ghosts and spirits and go around asking for treats. “Trick” refers to a threat to the house owner if a treat is not given.
A Christian perspective on this holiday is commonly celebrated as All Saints Day or Reformation Day. The controversy between the holiday is evident due to the fact of welcoming spirits to your home and dressing as evil spirits. Still the moral questions remains, if one is dressed as a princess or a knight and asking for candy, is it welcoming and celebrating spirits?
By Anais Tabor
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