And this year it’s on Sat 31 Oct 2015
Did you notice that it’s happening on a good day of the week this year – a Saturday?
Yes if partying this year, being on a Saturday you’ll be able to party into wee hours of Sunday morning and it falls on the actual day this year. That’s a good excuse to find one to go to or have one of your own. Any excuse for a party is good, I say!
What are you doing for this year's Halloween?
If you're not invited to Heidi Klum’s Halloween Party this year (venue undecided)
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| Heidi Klum in Halloween costume October 2006 |
or back on UK soil to Jonathan Ross' one
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| Jonathan Ross in Halloween costume October 2014 |
then no probs cos as said previously, you can have your own or go to someone else's party who is not as famous.
Either choice, if looking for a costume or ideas for decorating your party venue, eating or drinking Halloween theme food, there are many ideas and stuff to buy over at the Amazon website.
As usual you’ll find a range of ideas and costumes available at either.
Before you go off and decide what you’re buying or what other Halloween stuff is on offer, have you ever wondered how Halloween celebrations came about?
Well here’s a brief overview:
So where does the word Halloween
come from?
The word means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening". It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the night/evening before).
In Scotland, the word 'eve' is even, and this is shortened to e'en or een. Over time, the word 'ALL' was dropped and the letter 'S' was dropped from the word Hallows and the Scottish word for evening 'een' was added giving the word Halloween as we know it today.
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| The word Halloween as we know it today |
BTW: The real spelling is Hallowe’en and the 1st November is known as All Hallows' Day.
Back to my brief explanation…
Halloween means the eve of All Saints Day.
What is All Saints Day?
Before answering that question, did you know that Halloween is part of a 3 day celebration called Hallowtide and All Saints Day is one of the 3?
The 3 days of celebration are:
Day 1
31st October = Halloween
Nowadays as mentioned above, this day is associated as the eve of two major Christian remembrance days. (All Saints Day and All Souls Day).
Prior to this though, back in the day, the Celtics associated this day with the Celtic New Year called Samhain meaning the end of Summer (See more on this below).
Day 2
1st November = All Saints' Day
This day is a Christian church holiday to honour all the saints and it is customary on this day for Christians to remember and pray for their recognised saints. A saint can be described as men and women who were outstanding memorable Christians and don't have a day on the calendar as their own.
Another alternative name for this day is "All Hallow Mass".
Day 3
2nd November = All Souls' Day
Even though prayers for those that have died are held throughout the year, on this day some Christians pray for the dead. Not just for certain named relatives and friends but for those that have passed in general.
Ever wondered why do people dress up or wear costumes
on Halloween?
Well it was believed that ghosts and souls of the dead came back on Oct 31st to roam the streets and villages.
Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the troublesome ones. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating that we know today.
Folks also thought that leaving their homes to do their usual outdoor activities, they would encounter ghosts. To avoid the ghosts recognising them and mistaking them for fellow spirits, they'd wear masks and costumes to fool them.
This is from the belief that ghosts or spirits cannot see their own reflection. So if one saw a face that looked horrible, they would run away scared not knowing that it was just a person wearing a mask.
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| Halloween masks |
People would also walk about the neighborhood making as much noise as possible to frighten away the spirits or form a dance parade or conga line (a dancing line of people) and lead the spririts/ghosts out of town.
Nowadays we just have parties ;)
Why do people place food and drinks outside
on October 31st?
The evil spirits who had died the previous year return to visit the living on this day. It is believed that to keep the roaming ghosts and spirits from entering a house on Halloween, placing bowls of food and some drink outside homes will appease the ghosts/spirits and prevent them from attempting to enter.
Did you know that October 31st has another origin?
Back in the day, New Year's Eve was seen by some to be on October 31st.
That day marked the end of the season of the sun (Summer) and the beginning of the season of darker months ( Winter). This day fell approximately halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. So this day was seen as the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter and was celebrated from sunset on 31st October to sunset on 1st November.
The Celts who introduced Samhain, worshipped nature and Gods and believed in the spirit world. Their chief god was the sun and they celebrated two festivals revolving around the sun: Beltane, to mark the beginning of summer and Samhain or Saman to mark the start of winter.
Over time, this day became known as Samhain signifying November or "summers end" and was the start of a number of harvest festivals where huge sacred bonfires were built, to mark the end of the year and beginning of a new one.
Okay, as I said earlier, this was a brief overview and if attending a Halloween party this year, enjoy yourself and have fun.
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| October 31 is commonly known as Halloween day |
You can find a range of Halloween stuff to purchase on the Amazon website, from costumes to food and drink!
Having a birthday that is on 31 October?
Then it's another reason to party!
If this is you, then here’s a few famous peeps that you share your birthday with and where you can find even more info on them on Amazon.
FAMOUS PEEPS BORN 31 OCT
Ethel Walters (c. 1896–1977) Theater Actress, Film Actress, Singer, Television Actress
Ethel Waters was a blues and jazz singer and dramatic actress
Find Ethel on Amazon USA website
Michael Landon (1936–1991) Television Actor
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director and producer favourably known for his role in Little House on the Prairie.
Find Michael on Amazon USA website
John Keats (1795–1821) Poet
English romantic lyric poet John Keats was dedicated to the perfection of poetry marked by vivid imagery that expressed a philosophy through classical legend
Find John on Amazon USA website
Vanilla Ice
(1967–) Reality Television Star, Rapper Vanilla Ice is a rapper and TV reality show personality whose song "Ice Ice Baby" put him on the map in 1990.
Find Vanilla on Amazon USA website
Michael Collins (1930–) Astronaut
Michael Collins is a former astronaut who was part of the Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 missions, usa
Find Michael on Amazon USA website
NOTE: If complete your purchase on Amazon using the links above, I may receive a commission for recommending.
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