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HALLOWEEN HISTORY

Halloween is an annual holiday, celebrated each year on October 31, that has roots in age-old
European traditions. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would
light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III
designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints; soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of
the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later
Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating and carving
jack-o-lanterns. Around the world, as days grow shorter and nights get colder, people continue
to usher in the season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

COSTUMES, CANDY & TRICK-OR-TREATING


Halloween, one of the worlds oldest holidays, is still celebrated today in a number of countries
around the globe. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, Da de los Muertosthe Day
of the Deadhonors deceased loved ones and ancestors. In countries such as Ireland, Canada
and the United States, adults and children alike revel in the popular Halloween holiday, which
derived from ancient festivals and religious rituals. Traditions include costume parties, trick-or-
treating, pranks and games.

PUMPKINS AND JACK O'LANTERN


Every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches and doorsteps in the United States and
other parts of the world.Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated
by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season. The practice of decorating jack-o-
lanternsthe name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jackoriginated
in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought
the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween
festivities.
In the United States, pumpkins go hand in hand with the fall holidays of Halloween and
Thanksgiving. An orange fruit harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile plant features
flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. Pumpkin is used to make soups,
desserts and breads, and many Americans include pumpkin pie in their Thanksgiving meals.
Carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns is a popular Halloween tradition that originated hundreds
of years ago in Ireland. Back then, however, jack-o-lanterns were made out of turnips or
potatoes; it wasnt until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a
new Halloween ritual was born.
GHOSTS & WITCHES
Images of witches have appeared in various forms throughout historyfrom evil, wart-nosed
women huddling over a cauldron of boiling liquid to hag-faced, cackling beings riding through the
sky on brooms wearing pointy hats. In pop culture, witches have been a benevolent, nose-
twitching, suburban housewife, an awkward teenager learning to control her powers and a trio
of charmed sisters battling the forces of evil. The real history of witches, however, is dark and,
often for the witches, deadly.
The most famous address in America1600 Pennsylvania Avenueis also perhaps the countrys
most famous haunted house. Presidents, first ladies, White House staff members and guests have
reported feeling ghostly presences, hearing unexplained noises and even running into actual
apparitionseven on the way out of the bathtub, in one particularly famous case.

THREE FAMOUS HISTORICAL GHOSTS


One of the most frequently reported ghost sightings in England dates back to the 16th century.
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed
at the Tower of London in May 1536 after being accused of witchcraft, treason, incest and
adultery. Sightings of Boleyns ghost have been reported at the tower as well as in various other
locations, including her childhood home, Hever Castle, in Kent.
Americas own rich tradition of historical ghosts begins with one of its most illustrious founding
fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Beginning in the late 19th century, Franklins ghost was seen near
the library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; some reports held
that the statue of Franklin in front of the society comes to life and dances in the streets.
Though many ghost sightings have been reported at the White House in Washington, D.C.,
over the years, perhaps no political figure has made so frequent an appearance in the afterlife
as Abraham Lincoln, the nations 16th president, who was killed by an assassins bullet in April
1865. Lincoln, formerly a lawyer and congresseman from Illinois, is said to have been seen
wandering near the old Springfield capitol building, as well as his nearby law offices. At the
White House, everyone from first ladies to queens to prime ministers have reported seeing the
ghost or feeling the presence of Honest Abeparticularly during the administration of Franklin
D. Roosevelt, another president who guided the country through a time of great upheaval and
war.

MONSTERS & MYTHS


The zombie, often portrayed as an undead, flesh-eating, decaying corpse, has enjoyed a
popularity surge in recent years. Whether theyre devouring their prey in The Walking Dead or
getting their groove on in Michael Jacksons Thriller video, zombies dominate pop culture and
are a popular topic of discussion from the water cooler to the dinner table. But where did zombies
come from? Unlike many other horrible monsterswhich are mostly a product of superstition,
religion and fear zombies have a basis in historical fact.

THE ORIGIN OF ZOMBIES


The Ancient Greeks may have been the first civilization terrorized by a fear of the undead.
Archaeologists have unearthed many ancient graves which contained skeletons pinned down by
rocks and other heavy objects, assumedly to prevent the dead bodies from reanimating.
Zombie folklore has been around for centuries in Haiti, possibly originating in the 17th century
when African slaves were brought in to work on Haitis sugar cane plantations. Brutal conditions
left the slaves longing for the freedom only death could bring yet most were terrified to kill
themselves.
They believed anyone who took their life became a zombie (originally spelled zombi) and was
doomed to roam the plantations forever. For the slaves, hell itself couldnt be a worse fate. To
them, the lifeor rather afterlifeof a zombie represented the horrific plight of slavery.

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