It’s October, and that means that Halloween is just around the corner, and the time for superstitions, scares, and candy is here. But, Halloween wasn’t always how it is now; it was pretty different back when it first started in the 8th century in what is now Ireland. Halloween started from an ancient Celtic tradition called Samhain; during this event, the Celts who celebrated this event wore costumes and lit bonfires because they believed that it would ward off roaming spirits.

They often wore costumes that looked like animals so that they could better commute with the spirit world and to also attract and absorb the power of the animal that they dressed as. They believed that at this time of year, spirits would be free to roam the earth, and they did these things because they thought that it would protect them from the spirits. The reason why Halloween is associated with death and scares is because when this event took place, it was the time to get ready for winter, which was a harsh time since they had to fight the cold and starvation. So many people died, and so they called it a time where death was approaching. In 43 A.D., Romans captured and controlled a major part of Celtic territory and combined Samhain with other celebrations and traditions of Roman origins. One of these celebrations was to honor Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. She was often represented as an apple, which may be the cause of the incorporation of the practice, “bobbing for apples.” Then, over time, Halloween became the more commutative and friendly event that we know now.

An employee named Ryan Harris who works at the Spirit Halloween store at Bristol Marketplace, was asked about his thoughts on Halloween: “I believe that Halloween is a time for people to celebrate the time with their families and to just enjoy themselves and to just have fun.”
Despite the more dark and superstitious past from Halloween, it had evolved into something everybody could enjoy, regardless of what they think of the actual holiday or how it came to be. It is a time where people could enjoy themselves with a good scare or explore the more unknown and mysterious parts of this celebration.

Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
http://www.albany.edu/~dp1252/isp523/halloween.html
http://www1.cbn.com/the-pagan-roots-of-halloween
https://www.livescience.com/40596-history-of-halloween.html