Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. The dress up, the ghost stories, the time of year, gorging on candy, ALL of the things that light up my inner child!
The Halloween we know in the US today was derived from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which took place on November 1st. It was believed that the night before, the dead were able to walk the earth as ghosts. People would leave offerings on their doorsteps and walk around in disguise to “blend in” with the walking dead. (ghosts, not zombies) The pagan holiday was changed to “All Hallows Day” by the Christians (meaning All holy day) and the night before became “All Hallows Eve”. Now in the US, Halloween means trick or treating for the kids and parties for the adults. In costume, of course.
For me, though, Halloween is much more. It’s the time of year where you get that chill in your bones. The air is just starting to cool and the leaves have started to fall. There is just something about it. You can FEEL how centuries ago people thought this was the time of year when the dead walked among us.
I had a teacher in elementary school who also loved Halloween. She would deck her classroom out with skeleton cutouts, candles, paper bats, and spider webs. She was a music teacher and took joy in introducing us to pieces of work like “Night on Bald Mountain“, which she would play with the lights out and our heads down on our desks. Listening to that score in that environment made it take on a whole new life.
Of course, I wouldn’t be a true Halloween fan if I didn’t dress up. I’m so very lucky that Jake likes to play along as well!
This time of year is also when the traditional Halloween movies are played in our household. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Hocus Pocus, Sleepy Hallow, The Nightmare Before Christmas (which you can watch for three months straight! Yay for holiday crossover movies!), and any other scary ghost or zombie movie I can talk Jake into watching.
And every year, Witches Night Out is a must watch. It just doesn’t feel like Halloween without it:
What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?
And candy corn? Yay or nay?
Hey Danielle and Jake, I’ve loved following your posts in preparation for your big journey and look forward to when it all begins!
I particularly liked this because we don’t really celebrate Halloween in Australia (although it has gotten bigger over the last couple of years), but my husband and I are in France at the moment – on a similar long-term journey to what you’re about to embark on I guess – and I’m super excited by all the pumpkins that we don’t usually get at this time of year! I’m not sure if they actually celebrate Halloween here but the pumpkins have made me think of it, so thanks for sharing the history!
Hi Kate! I’m happy to hear it’s catching on in Australia! Maybe by the time we get there it will be in full costume and candy coma swing. 🙂 Thanks for following along our journey, I’m excited to dive into your journey as well! France looks absolutely lovely this time of year.
Try mixing candy corn with peanuts..its just like eating a payday:)
OMG, YUM! We’ll have to give that a try 😉
OMG – you as Flo from Progressive? My fav! I’m not into Halloween like you, but I do love this time of year. And candy corn? Hell yeah!
Ha ha! Yes! Flo was a big hit. I kept being told I looked like her, so decided to embrace it!