Happy belated Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  No, it’s not because I enjoy eating candy (although I do), but rather I like seeing the kids (and even the adults) get dressed up and have a good time.  I think its also good for community building, as it lets you meet your neighbors and be friendly with one another.  Despite the cold weather (as it was rather windy this year), people get out and have fun.  Last but not least, it’s great exercise.  It’s not often you can get me to walk around in the cold outside for three hours.

Despite my conspiracy-theorish thoughts that Halloween was a holiday invented by dentists to increase business, the holiday actually has its roots based in the Celtic festival of Samhain.  It was a celebration to mark the end of summer.  It was also a celebration to honour your ancestors and ward off evil spirits.  To ward off these spirits, one had to dress up as a harmful spirit in order to fool them to avoid being hurt.

The Celts used to carve out large turnips for their Halloween festivals.  The practice of carving out pumpkins did not take place until the mid-1800′s, as the gourds were in far more plentiful supply at the time (in addition, the tradition was associated with harvest time, not Halloween).