Mia and Tom were sitting on their grandma's couch on a cool fall evening. Outside, jack-o'-lanterns were glowing as children ran from house to house collecting candy. Mia looked at her grandma and asked curiously, "Grandma, why do we celebrate Halloween, anyway?"
Grandma smiled and began to tell the story. A long time ago, there was a people called the Celts. They lived in Ireland, Scotland, and England. On October 31, they always celebrated a big festival called Samhain. The Celts celebrated the beginning of the new year with it. She believed that on this special night, the boundary between the world of the living and the world of spirits was particularly thin. Therefore, the spirits of the dead could return for a short time and wander through the world of the living.
To keep the spirits away, the Celts lit large fires. They also wore masks and dressed up in scary costumes. Their goal was to scare the spirits away and protect themselves from them. Since there weren’t only evil spirits, they also placed food and small gifts in front of their doors to welcome the friendly spirits.
Some time later, the Romans arrived in the land of the Celts and brought their own traditions and festivals with them. At the end of October, they celebrated a festival in honor of the goddess Pomona, who was the goddess of fruit and the harvest. Over time, the two traditions blended, giving rise to the festival we know today as Halloween. So the traditions of trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins come from the Celts and the Romans.
But that's not all! In the Middle Ages, November 1 became the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day. The night before, October 31, was called "All Hallows' Eve," and that's where the name "Halloween" comes from!
Mia and Tom were stunned. “So we dress up for Halloween to scare the ghosts?”
Grandma nodded. “That’s exactly right. Halloween is a night full of fun, but it also reminds us of the old legends and customs. And who knows, maybe there really are a few ghosts wandering the streets.”
Mia and Tom looked at each other and said, “Then let’s go pick out our scariest costumes right now.”
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