The time of year where everyone adds the word “spooky” in their username and consumes candy corn as if it’s water, is here. Halloween is today! The sickeningly-sweet holiday has been around for thousands of years, and some traditions have stayed constant while some have recently come to light. Here are some fun and festive ways we celebrate Halloween!

First of all, the obvious. Trick or treating. It’s when children dress up as their favorite movie character, or a household object, or maybe what they want to be when they grow up, or possibly something scary, and ask strangers for candy on Halloween night. The concept seems frightening, but it’s tradition. Plus, the abundance of candy one receives while trick or treating can compare to no other. Some of my fondest memories are walking up and down the winding blocks of my neighborhood, admiring how much effort my neighbors had put into decorating their houses with gossamer spider webs, frightening skulls, and plastic tombstones.

Speaking of which, the decorating part of Halloween isn’t half bad, either. The spooky holiday just so happens to occur when pumpkins are in season. Carving pumpkins are enjoyable, and pretty easy to do. People carve their pumpkins into glowing jack-o-lanterns, resembling gruesome faces, elated faces, miserable faces, shocked faces, and just about any other facial expression you can think of.

What’s Halloween without a haunted house? This is a common activity for teenagers and adults. These offer the fear and adrenaline rush that older people can’t receive from just decorations. Another alternative is horror movies, which are a staple in Halloween culture. Furthermore, a good amount of frightening films release in October; another reason to go see them. Moreover, you can’t forget about ghost stories. The iconic thrill of sitting in a circle with your friends, passing around a flashlight as you tell make-believe tales about demons, goblins, vampires, etc., can sometimes provide even more of a rush than a Haunted House.

There’s endless ways to celebrate Halloween, and everybody has their individual traditions, but any way you celebrate, it’s destined to be a spooky time. Happy Halloween!

Halloween first started with an ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During the festival people would dress as evil spirits to trick them so they wouldn’t be harmed by the spirits. They thought on this day spirits can come to Earth.   

Then later Pope Boniface IV made a holiday honouring saints on Nov. 1. Later the church made Nov. 2 All Souls day.

All Souls Day was a time for parades bonfires and dressing up much like the traditions of Samhain. The actual word Halloween came from All-Hallows Eve which was the night before and on the same day as Samhain.

When Halloween first came to America was much more common in southern colonies than the northern ones because of the north’s protestant majority. In the beginning, people had play parties. The play parties were filled with dancing and ghost stories. But halloween really took off when an increase of Irish came in the 1900s. The helped spread the celebration throughout the country. Then it later grew and people dressed up and started trick or treating.  

The most treasured tradition handing out candy also come from the Irish. At first people would ask for money or food. Sometimes even poor adults would dress up and ask for food. These traditions later grew into the trick or treating we have today.

Halloween is an exciting holiday filled with magic and deception. The holiday has a long and rich history. So when you’re putting your costume on or knocking on doors you will know exactly the events that made Halloween, Halloween.