Halloween - How It All Began
Halloween is one of the most highly anticipated holidays of the year. As the second highest grossing holiday in the States (right after Christmas), Halloween has people planning their costumes and stocking up on candy weeks in advance. You will probably spend a lot of time planning for and anticipating this great holiday, but do you know how it all got started in the first place? This week, the team at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. are here to take you on an exciting journey through the history of Halloween.
A Changing Of The Seasons
The annual summer and the resulting harvest was an important moment in many traditional countries and cultures. After a long and fruitful summer, families harvested their crops in order to prepare the upcoming winter. October 31st marks the end the harvest and the beginning of the long, cold winter. Many cultures held annual festivals celebrating their successful harvests, giving thanks for a plentiful year and preparing for the upcoming winter.
Honoring The Deities
In many of these traditional cultures, the people held sacred rituals during their annual festivities designed to thank the deities for the successful harvest and lay the groundwork for a safe winter. Some of these rituals included lighting sacred bonfires and and sacrificing animals or crops. These traditions were especially important in the Celtic culture - in fact, many sources point to Ireland as the official birthplace for Halloween.
Samhain
Samhain was one of the original names for Halloween. In addition to their sacred rituals, each culture all had slightly different traditions for honoring Samhain, but many of them centered around ways to placate the ghosts and spirits that are believed to wander the streets during Samhain. Many people set out food and drink as a way to appease the passing deities, and others wore costumes to disguise themselves as other ghouls or ghosts in an attempt to protect themselves. It's easy to see how these customs evolved into the modern-day traditions of trick-or-treating and wearing elaborate costumes!
Happy Halloween From PMCW Law!
The true origins of Halloween are long and involved, but this brief summary should give you a good idea of how our holiday traditions were formed. When you take your kids trick-or-treating this year, take a moment to remember the ancient Celts who celebrated Samhain.
The team at our local Lake of the Ozarks law offices want to take this opportunity to wish a very happy Halloween to you and your family! Stay safe during your holiday celebrations. Remember that if you should ever find yourself in need of legal council, our attorneys in central Missouri will be happy to assist you in any way we can.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.
Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
85 Court Circle N.W., P.O. Box 559
Camdenton, MO 65020 GET A MAP
(573) 346-7231 - Telephone
(888) 236-2485 - Toll Free
(573) 346-4411 - Fax
Comments
Post a Comment