When it begins to get cold, the leaves start falling and the decorations come out, it can only mean one thing: Halloween. This event was immigrated from Scotland and Ireland in the early 1900s. The name Halloween originated from All Hollows Eve, which is the day before All Saints Day. Many are unaware of what All Saints Day really is. This is another celebration for the Roman Catholics and some Protestant denominations. It originated with the Celtic festival in the eighth century. This festival would consist of lighting bonfires and wearing spooky costumes just as we do today. Halloween incorporated many activities over the years. Including trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, setting up festive decorations and many other activities. The saints believed on this day the spirits of the fallen would come back to haunt the towns. This was the whole reason to light bonfires to scare the spirits away. 

A big part of Halloween is the superstitions. No one really knows about the backstory of walking under ladders, black cats, and so many other unlucky myths. The most common superstitions are the correlation between witches and black cats. This started in the 14th century. Cats were once worshiped, but this opinion has changed drastically over the years. Cats are mostly nocturnal and witches used to work in the night. So with this association, it’s believed when you see a black cat a witch is near. Another big part of Halloween is carving pumpkins, and this is why.  The fable starts with a drunken farmer who tried to trick the devil. These actions caused him not to be let in so all he did was wander around in the darkness. Jack made a lantern which consisted of a turnip and coal to guide lost souls home when they wander the streets. You are most likely still confused on why we use pumpkins instead of turnips. This came from the potato famine so turnips were hard to come by so they used pumpkins as a substitution. Another correlation with bad luck is walking under ladders. The practical reason is that it’s unsafe in general. The reason this was created is Christians believed it was to close to a triangle that represents the devil. If you have walked under a ladder there is a way to reverse the effect. There are many ways to undo it. A very simple one just walks back through the same one. The weirdest one, in my opinion, is that you must cross your fingers until you see a dog than it will be reversed. A thing you could say is “Bread and Butter”. Hopefully knowing all this you celebrate knowing the full reason.